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Jail for man (45) who held €256k in cannabis to repay €5k debt
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 21 July 2023, 45‑year‑old Wesley McGill pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cannabis for sale or supply. The offence stemmed from a mistaken search warrant that was actually for a stolen electric bike. McGill opened the door, led Gardaí to two cardboard boxes containing 2,800 g of cannabis valued at €256,000, which he claimed he was holding for someone else, and a small amount of cocaine worth €81. He had borrowed €5,000 from moneylenders to renovate his house and could not repay the debt. McGill, who began using cannabis at 16, expressed remorse and provided character references, including one from his son. Judge Martina Baxter sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, suspending the final two years on strict conditions, and ordered 12 months' probation supervision post‑release.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man (45) who held €256k in cannabis to repay €5k debt. Charges or matters: one count of possession of cannabis for sale or supply on November 24, 2021. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 24, 2021 Incident
- 2023-07-21 Publication
Why: He borrowed money in order to carry out some renovations before he sold the house and was unable to pay it back. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of possession of cannabis for sale or supply on November 24, 2021 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence today, Judge Martina Baxter said McGill had made an "unfortunate and bad decision" to borrow €5,000 from moneylenders to renovate his home and try to sell it. Judge Baxter handed McGill a sentence of five years, with the final two years suspended on strict conditions.
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