A former Bray Wanderers footballer caught with over €400,000 worth of cocaine and heroin at his family home has been sentenced to ten years in prison, with the last four suspended.
Paul Dunphy, 22, who was weighing and packing the drugs, was caught with nearly €200,000 worth of heroin and €220,000 worth of cocaine.
The court heard he made 48 senior appearances for Bray Wanderers between 2007 and 2008.
Judge Frank O'Donnell told him that he had backtracked on his initial admissions to gardaí.
He said that even though Dunphy had an exceptional talent as a footballer, there were no exceptional circumstances in the case.
Gardaí searched the house at Cleggan Park, Ballyfermot, in August 2009 and found two 500g packages of heroin in a bedroom he shared with his younger brother.
They also found four packets of cocaine in the attic.
He claimed he was the keeper of the drugs and did not own them.
Dunphy also played football for Bohemians and had planned to join the Air Corps but failed the medical.
He claimed that he entered a dark place in 2008 because of this, the break-up of his parents’ marriage and the decision of Bray Wanderers not to renew his contract.
