Man pleads guilty to €1m cannabis possession

A Clare man who was caught with over €1m worth of cannabis resin in Cork pleaded guilty this afternoon to having drugs for sale or supply.

Niall Guilfoyle of 6 Tullyglass Crescent, Shannon, County Clare, was before Cork Circuit Criminal Court where he admitted being in possession of cannabis where the street value of the drugs was €13,000 the threshold figure covered by mandatory sentencing of ten years up to life imprisonment.

Guilfoyle was stopped at 5 p.m. on March 22 at the Glanmire by-pass and detained under the Drug Trafficking Act. He has been on bail since shortly after that time.

Tim O’Leary senior counsel said Guilfoyle had no previous convictions and was currently at Coolmine drug rehabilitation centre in Dublin. Mr O’Leary anticipated that Guilfoyle would be in Coolmine for several months if not longer as this time would be necessary for the intensive phases of the treatment.

Judge Patrick J. Moran agreed to adjourn sentencing until May 11 for Guilfoyle to continue in treatment. At the time of the defendant’s arrest last March it was stated in Cork District Court that the defendant was working for a freight company.

The amount of drugs involved in the case had a street value of over €1m.