A self-confessed heroin addict who on one occasion waded into the canal and emptied his pockets into the water as gardaí were about to search him, was convicted of drug dealing in the city and jailed for 18 months at Galway District Court this week.

Jason Shaughnessy (32), 5 Claddagh Place, Galway, denied being a drug dealer and having quantities of heroin and cannabis in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply to another on 21 January last year. He did plead guilty to having the drugs in his possession and to obstructing gardaí on two other occasions.

Garda Marie Flaherty gave evidence that she arrested the accused on Dominic Street on the evening of 21 January last year and she took him back to Galway Garda Station.

Shaughnessy was asked by four of her male colleagues, Garda Ken Clancy, Garda Michael Guerin, Garda Shaun Durkan and Garda Michael Kelly, to remove his clothing for the purpose of a drugs search at the station. They discovered Shaughnessy was wearing two tracksuit bottoms and no underwear. When he removed the inner tracksuit bottom a small plastic bag fell on the floor.

Garda Flaherty said the plastic bag, which wasn't much bigger than a golf ball, contained seven smaller plastic bags. Most of these contained heroin and one contained cannabis resin with a street value of €520. Gardaí also found €1685 in cash in Shaughnessy's jacket pocket. She said she believed the drugs were for sale or supply to others and the cash found on the accused was the proceeds of drug dealing.

Garda Flaherty said Shaughnessy told gardaí when interviewed that he was in receipt of €180 in weekly social welfare payments and that he spent €100 a week on his heroin habit. He claimed he had just bought his "gear" from his supplier half an hour before he was arrested and he said he had paid €100 for his week's supply.

Under cross examination by defence solicitor, Valerie Corcoran, Garda Flaherty said that a gram of heroin cost €200 on the street, while a gram of cannabis was roughly €7.