A Brazilian cyclist, whose tourist visa expired half a year ago, was found with over €7,500 worth of various drugs during a seizure in Dublin city centre on Friday, a court has heard, reports Breaking News.
Juan Souza Gomes, 25, gave a false residence address, prompting a search of a house where the people living there “never heard of him,” Judge Michele Finan was told.
Mr Gomes, who has no permanent address, appeared at a weekend sitting of Dublin District Court, reports Breaking News.
The bail hearing, which was contested, followed his arrest on the evening of June 13th. He was later charged with the unlawful possession of cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, and methamphetamines at Litton Lane, Dublin 1.
He also faces charges of possessing the drugs for sale or supply, reports Breaking News.
Garda Gerard Hanahoe of Store Street Garda Station said the accused was “caught red-handed” after being observed talking with an unidentified man, during which money changed hands.
The garda attempted to detain the second man, but he fled the scene, reports Breaking News.
Upon searching Mr Gomes’s backpack, officers allegedly uncovered the large stash of drugs.
According to Garda Hanahoe, the accused stated during his interview that “he found the backpack minutes before gardaí arrived.”
The court also heard that Mr Gomes entered Ireland in 2024 on a short-term tourist visa, which had expired six months earlier. The garda raised doubts about the man’s reliability, especially after he supplied a bogus address, reports Breaking News.
Because of this, officers obtained a special warrant to search the property in question, “and the occupants had no idea who he was.”
Defence barrister Kevin McCrave, representing Mr Gomes through solicitor Michael French, said his client was now able to confirm he resided at Frederick Lane, Dublin 1.
Though acknowledging Mr Gomes’s presumption of innocence, the garda responded that the man lacked a fixed address, had no family in Ireland, and was staying in the country unlawfully, reports Breaking News.
The defence argued that the case might still be dealt with in the District Court, but Judge Finan said that remained uncertain.
Pleading for bail, Mr McCrave told the court that Mr Gomes’s partner lived in Dublin and was holding his passport, reports Breaking News.
Judge Finan emphasized that gardaí needed to verify the address mentioned during discussions between the defence and Garda Hanahoe.
She granted Mr Gomes bail with a personal bond of €700, but required him to provide a verified address and for an independent surety to deposit €7,000 before he could be released, reports Breaking News.
If those conditions are met, Mr Gomes must hand over his passport and refrain from using any bicycle, e-bike, motorcycle, or e-scooter.
He was remanded in custody with bail permitted and will appear in court again next week. The charges fall under sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Mr Gomes, who followed the proceedings with a translator’s help, was also granted legal aid.
The court is awaiting directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions, reports Breaking News.
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