Man jailed for having ecstasy tablets seeks inquiry into detention after Court of Appeal judgement

A Dublin man imprisoned for three years following his admission to possessing over 5,000 ecstasy tablets has secured a High Court inquiry into the lawfulness of his continued detention. Keith Willis, currently held at Wheatfield Prison, brought the application under Article 40 of the Constitution following a recent Court of Appeal judgment that struck down a government regulation classifying approximately 100 drugs as illegal substances. Willis argues that the Ministerial Order rendering ecstasy possession unlawful was constitutionally invalid at the time he received his custodial sentence in 2013 at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court. The Court of Appeal previously determined that the relevant legislation improperly vested law-making powers in the Government rather than the Oireachtas. High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns directed that an inquiry into Willis' detention proceed, with the matter adjourned for hearing the following week. The inquiry may result in his release from prison.