Dog sniffed out cannabis cultivation by farmer with ‘alternative lifestyle’

Snipe, the Garda drugs dog, sniffed out €13,000 worth of cannabis being grown in a field by a 59-year-old Inchigeelagh farmer with an “alternative lifestyle”.

Michael O’Connell, a father-of-five, pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of cultivating cannabis.

Detective Garda Andrew Manning testified that gardaí obtained a warrant to search his home at The Commons, Inchigeelagh, Co Cork, on November 23, 2013.

The accused was at his home on the 28-acre farm when gardaí arrived. He initially told officers he had no drugs on the property.

However, Snipe found cannabis growing two fields away from the house. “At that point Mr O’Connell put his hands up straight away and accepted responsibility. He said that 99% of it was for himself and that he might give a small bit to friends,” said Det Garda Manning.

Referring to the accused, who has long grey hair, Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said: “He might have the appearance of a person who has an alternative lifestyle.”

He asked how the accused would re-assure him that he would change his ways.

Gareth Fleming, defence barrister, said the defendant was farming for 35 years. Mr Fleming said he would not want to make any promise that a lifestyle change would be made that would not occur.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said:“If there is quid pro quo, if there is clear urinalysis the report could be very positive. If he does not change, the report could be negative.”

Det Garda Manning agreed with prosecution barrister Siobhán Lankford that this was an unsophisticated growing of cannabis to the extent that it was being grown openly in a field.

The detective said: “From people I usually deal with he is certainly not the worst. He is otherwise a very decent man.”

At yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Mr Fleming asked the judge to take into consideration the fact O’Connell had pleaded guilty to the cultivation offence at an early stage and had admitted responsibility for the drugs on the day of the search.

The judge said he would adjourn sentencing.

However, he said to Mr Fleming that the defendant would need to understand, or be made to understand, the importance of having clear results in urinalysis.

Sentencing was adjourned until November 12.

The judge told O’Connell that he would have to pay for the supervised urinalysis and bring those reports to court in November.

“If he does not there may be dramatic consequences,” Judge Ó Donnabháin warned.