The girlfriend of the leader of an organised crime gang in Derry has been given 200 hours community service on a number of drugs offences.
Gemma Sheerin (31), of Elmvale, pleaded guilty at Derry Crown Court to having cannabis and cannabis resin with intent to supply.
She had been convicted at an earlier of having a class A drug, namely methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy).
The court heard the drugs were found in her home following the arrest of her boyfriend, Mark McPhillips (34), who is serving a seven jail term for a number of offences, including having £800,000 worth of cannabis, possession of other drugs, importing drugs and money laundering.
At the time of his sentencing in November, he was described by police as the leader of an organised crime gang in city.
In court today, prosecutor Andrew Crawford said that during a follow-up search of Sheerin’s home following the arrest of McPhillips on 14 May, 2012, 0.34g of MDMA was found in a small jewellery box while small amounts of herbal cannabis and cannabis resin would discovered in the kitchen of the house.
Mr Crawford told the court 3,000 text messages recovered from the accused’s mobile phone showed she had been supplying drugs to a “network of friends.”
Defence counsel Shaun Doherty told the court the accused’s involvement was on a “non commercial” basis and there were no allegations of “profit-making.”
Passing sentence, Judge Phillip Babington told Sheerin he was at a loss as to why she had contested the posssession of MDMA for which, he added, she was “rightly” found guilty by the jury.
Mr Babington said it was clear the accused had been involved in supplying drugs to a “network of friends.”
Imposing 200 hours community service on each of the three charges, to run concurrently, Mr Babington warned Sheerin if she did not comply with the order she would be brought back to court and sent to jail.
Judge Babington ordered the destruction of the seized drugs as well as Sheerin’s mobile phone.
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