A 28-year-old Lithuanian who was found with over €1,000 worth of amphetamines, in a house where she resides with her step-sister (18 ) and six-year-old son, was before Castlebar District Court this week charged with section three (possession ) and section 15 (for having drugs for sale and supply ) under the misuse of drugs act.
Detective Sergeant Jim Caden outlined that following confidential information a drugs search was carried out on February 13 this year at 4.10pm on the home of Kristina Navickaite, 40 Meadow Park, Castlebar, where 73.04 grammes worth of speed was found in a shoe box in her bedroom along with weighing scales, a spoon, and 50 small dealer bags. The defendant who was not home at the time was then contacted by gardaí at 4.42pm when they called to the shop where she worked. A further 8.34 grammes of speed was then found in Navickaite’s handbag, along with needles.
The defendant admitted to gardaí that she injected speed into her arms and that she obtained the drugs from a Lithuanian man in Dublin, who she knew from home, who sent the parcels via Fast Track. The name of this man was given to Sgt Caden and investigations show that he is known for selling and supplying drugs to foreign nationals. The defendant said that the scales, spoon, and bags were given to her by this man and that they were not hers.
Four text messages were retrieved by gardaí from the defendant’s phone which showed that people in the area were contacting her for drugs. Navickaite denies selling drugs and said that she only supplied one man, her ex-boyfriend, with half a gram of speed, for which he did not pay.
Solicitor Aidan Crowley said that the mother, and carer of her step-sister, has been living in Ireland since 2000 and worked in a shop and cleaning homes, but is now unemployed. Navickaite told the court that she started using drugs about two years ago and was addicted to them, but is now clean. The defendant has no previous convictions in Ireland.
Mr Crowley urged Judge Mary Devins to consider putting the case back for a probation report and urine analysis as a prison sentence at this stage would not assist the defendant in her rehabilitation and the likelihood was that the defendant might be out of jail soon after sentencing.
Inspector Martin Byrne said that the amount found in the woman’s possession was substantial and that in the interest of the public sentencing should reflect that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Castlebar, but also said that the intervention of the probation service would benefit Navickaite and that she is not a “main player”, and that these people are being investigated.
Judge Mary Devins said that the case seemed to be part of a “bigger scheme” and remanded Navickaite on continuing bail for sentencing to April 7 2010 where a probation report and urine analysis will be furnished.
