Man pleads guilty to importing €200,000 worth of cannabis

A South African national who was arrested at Cork Airport and charged with the unlawful importation of €200,000 worth of cannabis resin pleaded guilty to the offence this evening

Johannes Steenberg (aged 43), of 108 Corsen House, Fisher Street, Durban, South Africa, was arrested by Garda Joe Young and charged with having cannabis at Cork Airport on Monday, September 17, for the purpose of selling or supplying to others.

Steenberg was also accused of the unlawful importation of he illegal drug.

The South African national was arraigned on the opening day of the sessions of Cork Circuit Criminal Court this evening.

The first count relates to quantities of drugs where the quantity of drugs exceeded €13,000.

This is the threshold figure for the mandatory sentencing of up to life imprisonment or a minimum of ten years on conviction, unless a judge finds there are exceptional circumstances that enable him to depart from the mandatory provisions.

Defence senior counsel, Blaise O’Carroll, applied to have sentencing adjourned until March 4.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin agreed to that adjournment and directed the preparation of a probation report on the accused.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, previously stated in Cork District Court that the accused was an unemployed man with four children in South Africa.