West Cork woman who 'couldn’t function without smoking cannabis' admits drugs possession

Court was told defendant was 'a blatant and obvious user' of cannabis, which would have aroused Garda suspicions

Gardaí found €150 worth of cannabis in defendant's home and a further €50 worth in her car, court heard.

A Cork woman has admitted the possession of illegal drugs for sale or supply following the discovery of cannabis at her home and in her car.

Sergeant Tom Mulcahy said a warrant was obtained to search the home of Emilia Cooper, aged 25, at Barryroe, Tragumna, Co Cork, on January 9, 2025. 

When the search was carried out by the Cork County Divisional Drugs Unit, Detective Garda Andrew Manning discovered an amount of cannabis valued at €150 in a bedroom at the property. 

Cooper admitted the drugs were hers and also admitted possession for the purpose of sale or supply.

The court heard a follow-up search was carried out on Cooper’s car that was parked at the Quays, Bantry, where a further amount of cannabis valued at €50 was also discovered. 

Cooper pleaded guilty to two counts of possession and one count of possession for sale or supply. The court was told she was fully co-operative, made full admissions, and had no previous convictions.

Colette McCarthy, defending, said her client had suffered family tragedies and “felt she couldn’t function without smoking cannabis”. 

The court heard Cooper had always worked and was part of a peer group who all smoked cannabis and she would buy and supply the drugs to her friends.

The court was told Cooper was “a blatant and obvious user” of cannabis, which would have aroused Garda suspicions. 

Ms McCarthy said Cooper was no longer using and found her life was now “so much better” now she was “clear headed”. 

Judge Joanne Carroll said she appreciated Cooper had suffered tragedy in her life but she was now a mature woman who needed “to choose how she wants her life to go”. 

She asked for a probation report to be prepared and for Cooper to undertake two random drug tests. The judge said if the tests proved negative, Cooper could expect a positive outcome at the next hearing scheduled for September 22.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme