"Vulnerable" mother caught with €39k worth of herbal cannabis avoids jail

A 28-year-old woman from Belturbet, County Cavan, has received a five-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possessing almost two kilograms of herbal cannabis valued at €39,000 for sale or supply. Carmel O'Reilly was arrested at a garda checkpoint on the Naas Road on 13 December 2013 following the discovery of the drug concealed in a car. At Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan described O'Reilly as vulnerable and noted she had played only a minor role in the operation, influenced by her co-accused. The judge highlighted her guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí, absence of prior convictions, and references from former members of An Garda Síochána. O'Reilly, who trained as a veterinary nurse, received the suspended sentence on the basis that the offence appeared to be a one-off incident. Her co-accused, the vehicle's driver, has since disappeared and remains at large.