Courts / Monaghan / Report

Dublin man jailed for four years for holding €200k of cannabis in garden shed

Date
2015-10-12

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Monaghan

Summary

Rory Monaghan, 48, of Clondalkin, Dublin, was sentenced to four years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possession of €200,000 worth of cannabis. The drugs were discovered in 19 bags inside a garden shed at his home on February 22, 2014. Monaghan admitted to gardaí that he had agreed to store the cannabis to pay off a drug debt, a claim supported by his defence counsel, Padraig Dwyer SC. Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Monaghan acted solely to settle this debt and noted his immediate admissions, lack of previous convictions, and good family and work history. The judge described the incident as a "huge error of judgement" by a man of mature years who had been taken advantage of. Monaghan, a trained chef and former truck driver, stated he no longer associates with the individuals involved in the offence. His eight and 14-year-old children were at home alone when gardaí forced entry, though one officer remained with them during the search. The court imposed a custodial sentence of four years, reflecting the severity of the offence while acknowledging mitigating factors.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Dublin man jailed for four years for holding €200k of cannabis in garden shed. Charges or matters: possession of the drugs at his home on February 22, 2014. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

February 22, 2014 Incident
2015-10-12 Publication

Why: A man who held €200,000 worth of cannabis in his garden shed in order to pay off a drug debt has been jailed for four years. CNI source report