Thursday 29 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 10965Possession of drugs for sale or supply · Co. Offaly · 8 May 2024

Edenderry man jailed over drugs for sale or supply, Offaly

Aaron Holt (27) and Shane O'Neill (26), both men, pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply in a case centred on Castleview Park, Edenderry, County Offaly, where the offence took place on 8 May 2024. Evidence cited included CCTV footage, O'Neill's admissions after his arrest, and TikTok messages. Holt pleaded guilty at Tullamore Circuit Court, and sentencing at Mullingar Circuit Court was reported on 27 January 2026. Holt was sentenced to eight years with the final year suspended, though the lead describes this as seven years, and O'Neill's sentence was reported as 18 months in one place and two and a half years in total in another, with the latest update published on 16 February 2026.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced16 Feb
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
Aaron Holt (27) and Shane O'Neill (26), both men, pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply.
Where
The offence took place at Castleview Park, Edenderry, County Offaly.
When
The offence took place on 8 May 2024.
Cause
CCTV footage, admissions by O'Neill after his arrest, and TikTok messages led to the guilty pleas.
Investigation
  • Gardaí searched Holt's property under warrant and found a tick list and baggies for packaging drugs, with the tick list in his bedroom referring to sums totalling €64,315.
  • A tick list in O'Neill's house referred to a total due of €99,455.
Charges
  • Holt pleaded guilty at Tullamore Circuit Court to having more than €13,000 worth of drugs for sale or supply to others at Castleview Park.
  • Reports give the value of heroin for sale or supply as €32,910 for both men, while Holt's plea was to more than €13,000 worth.
In court
  • The judge said the mandatory minimum sentence for the offences was 10 years, and that a deviation could be made if an injustice might be created.
  • Sentencing took place at Mullingar Circuit Court before Judge Keenan Johnson, with the report published 27 January 2026 and updated 16 February 2026.
Sentence
  • Holt was sentenced to eight years, with the final year suspended for five years on condition he enter a peace bond; the article's lead describes this as a seven-year sentence.
  • O'Neill was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and the same report gives his total sentence as two and a half years, with the final year suspended on condition he enter a peace bond.
Other details
  • The judge said Holt was the main driver of drug distribution in the Edenderry area and that O'Neill was the least culpable of the two men.
  • Holt had 59 previous convictions, and the article notes that his son and aunt were killed in a separate Edenderry firebomb attack that is not part of this case.
14 statements extracted from the articles
  • whereThe sentencing took place at Mullingar Circuit Court. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • whenThe offence took place on May 8, 2024. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • causeCCTV footage, admissions by O'Neill after his arrest, and TikTok messages led both men to plead guilty to having €32,910 worth of heroin for sale or supply. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • investigationA tick list found in Holt's bedroom referred to sums totalling €64,315. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • investigationA tick list in O'Neill's house referred to a total due of €99,455. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • investigationGardaí got warrants to search Holt's property, where they found a tick list and baggies for packaging drugs. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • chargeHolt pleaded guilty at Tullamore Circuit Court to having more than €13,000 worth of drugs for sale or supply to others at Castleview Park. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • courtThe judge said the mandatory minimum sentence for the offences was 10 years, and that a deviation could be made if an injustice might be created. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceHolt was sentenced to eight years, with the final year suspended for five years on condition he enter a peace bond. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceO'Neill was sentenced to 18 months in prison. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • sentenceO'Neill's total sentence was two and a half years, with the final year suspended on condition he enter a peace bond. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherThe judge said Holt was the main driver of the distribution of drugs in the Edenderry area. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherThe judge said O'Neill was the least culpable of the two men. (offalyexpress.ie)
  • otherHolt had 59 previous convictions. (offalyexpress.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 16 Feb2026
    Sentencedoffalyexpress.ie, first report
    BREAKING: Father of murdered Offaly boy jailed for drugs offence

    Sentencing report for the drugs case against Aaron Holt and Shane O'Neill. The article notes that Holt's son and aunt were killed in an Edenderry firebomb attack, but that attack is a separate matter and is not part of this case.

    convicted, Aaron Holt, 27, male, named, irish (judged from name)Aaron Holtconvicted, Shane O'Neill, 26, male, named, irish (judged from name)Shane O'Neill