Courts / Dublin / Report

'Vulnerable' father of four held drugs to pay down debt

Summary

Mark Caulfield, 45, of Finglas, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis and cannabis resin for sale or supply at his home on 13 September 2019. Gardaí, acting on a search warrant, found 41 bars of cannabis resin in the kitchen and further cannabis in a shed, totalling €32,969. Caulfield admitted he was holding the drugs to pay a €2,600 debt and said he had no choice. He had four children from a previous relationship and had been caring for them since their mother's suicide. His record includes 13 prior convictions, the last in 2010. Judge Martin Nolan, noting Caulfield's vulnerability and the old nature of his record, imposed a four‑year imprisonment sentence fully suspended on the condition of good behaviour and keeping the peace for four years.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Vulnerable' father of four held drugs to pay down debt. Charges or matters: possession of cannabis and cannabis resin for sale or supply at his home on September 13, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• September 13, 2019 Incident
• 2021-01-27 Publication

Why: A "vulnerable" father-of-four who was caught holding over €32,000 of cannabis in order to pay down a drug debt has received a fully suspended sentence. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report