Man pleads guilty to possession of €1.6m worth of cannabis in Cork

Defendant is to be sentenced next February and is remanded in custody until then

Drugs were found at storage unit in Little Island. File picture

Eighty kilos of cannabis with a street value of €1.6m were discovered in an investigation that brought officers to a storage unit at Little Island in July, and on Monday the accused man confirmed a guilty plea at Cork Circuit Criminal Court and was remanded in custody for sentencing in February 2027.

30-year-old Xiaochen Han, with an address at Griffith’s Close, Birmingham, was present in custody at the circuit court sitting at Anglesea Street in Cork and the judge was told his mother had attended court for the hearing. The accused, who was living in the UK, is from China, defence senior counsel Jane Hyland said.

Ms Hyland asked for a probation report on the accused so his background history and circumstances could be outlined at this sentencing next year.

Judge Helen Boyle acceded to the request for a probation report and for a prison governor’s report. Free legal aid was extended for a Mandarin interpreter for further legal consultations.

Judge Boyle adjourned sentencing until February 24, 2027, with Xiaochen Han remanded in custody until then.

Xiaochen Han pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis, and having the illegal drug for the purpose of sale or supply to others, and having a value exceeding €13,000, the threshold for a 10-year minimum sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

The charges refer to Monday July 6 at U Store It, Unit 24, Euro Business Park, Little Island, Co Cork.

Detective Garda Derry O’Brien testified originally at Cork District Court there was an objection to bail based on the seriousness of the allegations and the belief by gardaí the accused was a flight risk with no ties to this jurisdiction.

The detective said the case involved a joint investigation by Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and Revenue and Customs, and the execution of a controlled delivery of the large shipment of cannabis to the unit at the business park in Little Island.

“Gardaí believe he is a flight risk and that he would flee the jurisdiction immediately if granted bail. He has zero ties to the jurisdiction and admitted travelling from the UK to Belfast and to Cork by train. 

"This was to avoid flagging immigration at airports with the Republic as he did not have a visa to be here — he has come to the country illegally,” Det Garda O’Brien said.