No jail for man found with €19k worth of cannabis at his home in Cork City

Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard the accused 'was engaged in drug-dealing because of a drug debt'

Detective Sergeant Pat Lyons said the gardaí executed a warrant at the defendant’s home on March 23, 2022, and recovered over €19,000 worth of cannabis. File photo

A stash of cannabis with a street value exceeding €19,000 was recovered during a drugs search at a house in Douglas in Cork.

The seizure dated back to March 2022 and now at Cork Circuit Criminal Court the man who admitted responsibility for the drugs — 27-year-old Leon Murphy — has been given a fully suspended sentence of two years and six months.

Leon Murphy pleaded guilty to a charge that on March 23, 2022, at his home at Lissadell, Maryborough, Douglas, Cork, he had cannabis for sale or supply.

Defence barrister Alan O’Dwyer said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: “He came forward on a signed plea. He fully co-operated. He was engaged in drug-dealing because of a drug debt.

“He was abusing a multitude of substances from a young age. But now he is in full employment. His employer and work colleagues think quite highly of him. He is taking full responsibility for matters.

"He was a regular and habitual user of drugs but he turned over a new leaf and he has not got into further trouble," Mr O’Dwyer said.

Detective Sergeant Pat Lyons said the gardaí executed a warrant at the defendant’s home on March 23, 2022, and recovered over €19,000 worth of cannabis.

“Mr Murphy said he had a drugs debt. 

His role was to hold drugs, he would be contacted and pass on drugs to another person. He was not receiving money for this. It was an effort to write down a drugs debt. 

"He has a previous conviction for having drugs for sale or supply. He did co-operate as much as he could without naming names,” Det. Sgt Lyons said.

The previous dealing conviction was dealt with at district court level and he was given a community service order in lieu of six months in prison for the offence which related to a relatively small quantity of ecstasy (MDMA) in September 2018.

Judge Sheehan said in the present case a fully suspended two-and-a-half-year sentence was appropriate.