Boy’s schoolbag ‘contained drugs worth €40k’

ALMOST €40,000 worth of cannabis was found in a 14-year-old boy’s schoolbag when gardaí searched his bedroom, a court heard yesterday.

The boy, now 15, was charged in June at the Dublin Children’s Court with possessing cannabis with intent to supply to another. He was later remanded in custody for behavioural and psychological assessments which found he had a “multitude of needs”. The teen was given bail in August on condition he obeyed a nightly curfew.

He was also ordered to stay out of a west Dublin district due to “major problems” with “the lads he is hanging out with”.

Yesterday, his case resumed with Judge Clare Leonard hearing an outline of prosecution evidence and objections to bail.

Garda Michael Noone told the court that during a search of the teenager’s bedroom, “I found a schoolbag containing a quantity of cannabis resin”. The drugs had a street value of €39,500 and the teenager made admissions, he added.

The boy has not yet entered a plea to the charge and the court heard that efforts were under way to get him back into education.

The judge deferred ruling on the issue of jurisdiction, on whether the case would be sent forward to the Circuit Court which has wider sentencing powers. Defence solicitor Gareth Noble said it was intended that submissions would be made pleading for the case to be kept in the juvenile court.

Gardaí also objected to bail, telling the judge that the teenager had breached his bail terms “every day” by going to the areas from which he had been banned.

Recently, the boy was seen with several men who have criminal convictions and were described in court as “a very destructive and bad influence on someone so young”.

Judge Leonard revoked bail and remanded him in custody for two weeks.