Drug gardener learned trade on TV
At Ennis Circuit Court, Colm Cafferkey, aged 32, of The Demesne, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, walked free when a judge imposed a suspended three-year jail term after he pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis at a house at Ballymulcashel, Kilmurray, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, on August 14, 2012.
In the sentencing hearing yesterday, Sgt Kevin O’Hagan told the court that Mr Cafferkey spent €5,000 to €6,000 on establishing the growhouse from a redundancy lump sum of €23,000 Cafferkey received from US multinational Dell.
Sgt O’Hagan said Cafferkey spent nine years working at Dell in Limerick, where he worked in “building systems”, fixing cables within the factory, where he also earned a certificate in management in 2009.
Lorcan Connolly BL, counsel for Cafferkey, told the court that, when asked in a Garda interview where he learned to grow the drug, Cafferkey said: “The Discovery Channel, the internet, that type of thing.”
Mr Cafferkey also told gardaí: “I wanted a peaceful existence in the country where I could grow a little weed.”
Sgt O’Hagan said Cafferkey made the “ill-judged” decision to invest €5,000 to €6,000 of his redundancy on starting the growhouse.
Mr Connolly said: “He bought a tent online, bought soil from a shop in Limerick. He bought seeds and high-powered lamps online — there are all freely available on the internet.”
Mr Connolly added that it his client’s intention was to sell some of the drugs to pay back some of his investment and use the cannabis for himself and friends.
Sgt O’Hagan said Cafferkey moved into the home in July 2011 and, in January and February 2012, started the grow operation.
The sergeant said Cafferkey has no previous convictions and was unlikely to re-offend.
Mr Connolly said that his client pleaded guilty, made admissions and co-operated fully with gardaí.
The judge said Cafferkey was unlikely to reoffend before imposing the three-year suspended sentence.
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