Cork woman in court on €1,500 drug charge

A woman from Donnybrook in Cork faced sentencing today arising out of the Garda seizure of €1,500 worth of cocaine more than a year ago.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said that probation and medical reports had been prepared for Cork District Court for the hearing.

“Even the medical report shows a lady with a difficult life to say the very least,” Mr Burke said on behalf of Zoe Grace.

Judge Con O’Leary asked what criminal record the accused had before these drugs offences were detected. Mr Burke said she had no record at all.

The most serious charge against Zoe Grace, of 115, Bracken Court, Donnybrook Hill, Cork, is one of having cocaine for sale or supply.

It was previously stated at a preliminary hearing that the street value of the cocaine at the time was €1,500. On the basis of the valuation, jurisdiction was accepted to deal with the case at Cork District Court rather than at circuit court level.

Mr Burke solicitor asked for the case to be adjourned until October 7 so that a copy of the prosecution evidence could be sent to the defence.

Judge O’Leary said after reading the background reports and listening to the defence submissions that he would impose a three-month suspended jail term on the most serious charge, namely the cocaine dealing charge.

The charge of having cocaine for her own use was dismissed by the judge as duplicating the main offence.

For having ketamine for her own use, she was fined €100 and for having MDMA (ecstasy) for her own use, she was put on a probation bond for 18 months, to be reviewed in June.

All charges against the 25-year-old relate to her home at Bracken Court, Donnybrook Hill, Cork, on November 8, 2018.

The judge told the accused that the sentence imposed on her today represented a chance and that she would be “running out of chances after that”.