Gambling debts led to father-of-two stealing from two Mayo pharmacies

A ROMANIAN man who came to Ireland in an effort to get work to clear gambling debts, which he accumulated in his native country, ended up robbing goods valued at over €6,000 from two pharmacies in Claremorris.

Elvis Dulea (49), with an address at Mirea Mioard, Luiza, Bucharest, Romania, pleaded guilty before Judge Michael Connellan at Castlebar District Court to two charges of stealing goods from Aran Health Pharmacy, Silverbridge Tesco Shopping Centre, Claremorris, while he also entered a guilty plea to the theft of goods from Boots Pharmacy, Silverbridge Plaza, Kilcolman Road, Claremorris.

The goods stolen consisted mainly of Nicorette products.

The court heard that the defendant, who is currently serving a prison sentence in relation to similar offences which took place last September and November in other towns around Ireland last year, had only come from Romania to Ireland early in 2025.

Solicitor for the defendant, Mr. Gary Mulhchrone, said his client had planned to get work to clear gambling debts he had accumulated back in Romania.

However, his efforts to gain employment in Ireland didn’t work out and as a result he resorted to stealing the goods from the two pharmacies in Claremorris, visiting both on two separate occasions.

Mr. Mulchrone said his client, who has no qualifications, is the father of two children and will be 50 this December.

“He is already serving sentences which were imposed for similar offences which occurred last year elsewhere in the country, and he is not due for release until October of 2027,” said Mr. Mulchrone.

“He came to Ireland last year to get work in an effort to pay off gambling debts he owed back home but gambling seems to have ravaged his life”, said Mr. Mulchrone.

The court was told the defendant was observed on CCTV taking goods from both pharmacies.

In one visit alone to Boots Pharmacy on November 22, 2025, he left with goods valued at €3,543, while on September 6, 2025, he also took goods valued at €1,674 from the same premises.

He also went to the nearby Aran Pharmacy and took goods to the value of €867.

Judge Connellan said he would take into account the guilty plea and the fact that the defendant was currently in custody and serving time for offences of a similar nature he had committed last year.

The judge imposed a four-month term of imprisonment on each of three charges, each to run consecutively, while taking the fourth charge into consideration.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.