Courts / Dublin / Report
Man "put under pressure" to store cannabis jailed for five years
Summary
Stuart Murphy, 46, of Tallaght, was jailed for five years after admitting he had stored €360,000 worth of cannabis resin in a van outside his home. Gardaí said he was under duress, having been shown photographs of his father, fiancé and a younger family member to pressure him into holding the drugs. Murphy had a drug debt of €8,000 and had relapsed into addiction during the Covid pandemic. He had previously been clean for over 20 years but lost his job during Covid, leading to depression and a relapse. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, offered an unreserved apology, and was found to have held the drugs for a short time without intent to sell. The judge accepted his duress claim, set a headline sentence of 12 years, but imposed a final sentence of six years, suspending the last 12 months for 12 months on condition of probation engagement.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man "put under pressure" to store cannabis jailed for five years. Charges or matters: having 629 slabs of cannabis resin, worth an estimated €364,800, in a van parked outside his home on December 20, 2023. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- December 20, 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2025-06-24 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: having 629 slabs of cannabis resin, worth an estimated €364,800, in a van parked outside his home on December 20, 2023 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Ni Chúlacháin imposed a sentence of six years. She suspended the final 12 months of the sentence for 12 months on condition that Murphy engage with the Probation Service for a year upon his release from prison.
Places mentioned
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