A former flight attendant has been given a suspended sentence after he was caught carrying over €20,000 worth of ecstasy in a schoolbag in Dublin.

22-year-old Dax Malone of Alderwood, Stamullen in Co. Meath pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply on Upper Hatch Street on July 26th in 2010.

Judge Carmel Stewart imposed a sentence of 3 years suspended in full for 3 years on strict conditions after taking into account his character and lack of previous convictions. Garda Bernard Maguire agreed that he was unlikely to come before the courts again.

Garda Maguire told the court he stopped 3 men on Hatch Street because he thought they were acting suspiciously. When he stopped to talk to them they appeared nervous and they were arrested for a drug search.

Malone was carrying the schoolbag and when it was searched back at the station gardaí discovered a large quantity of tablets.

Trusted 'not to do a runner'

The court was told that while studying film production in Bray, Mr. Malone met a man who knew that he was a drug user and became his supplier. He later got into debt with this supplier who told him that he was being put under pressure from 'someone higher up the chain' to get the debt paid off.

The garda said Malone was co-operative with gardaí and was released without charge.

Malone then left Ireland to begin his cabin crew training in Frankfurt and Garda Maguire accepted that despite flying as far as Morocco with his job he trusted Malone 'not to do a runner' and confirmed that he voluntarily returned to Ireland to be charged.

Counsel said his client is now drug free and asked the court to consider Malone’s high level of co-operation with the gardaí when considering sentence.