Courts / Dublin / Report

Thief thought he was 'lucky' when he found €43,000 worth of cannabis under a bush

Summary

In Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Govonor Ogbonnaya, 27, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at a Tallaght address on 20 October 2020. He had 52 prior theft convictions. Gardaí obtained a search warrant for a Tallaght home, finding 26.6 g of cannabis in the house and 2,067 g in bags on adjacent bins, totaling €43,854 in seized cannabis. Ogbonnaya admitted to taking the drugs after seeing them stored under a bush, but claimed uncertainty about what to do with them. He presented himself to Gardaí when the house owner was arrested and took responsibility. Judge Martin Nolan, noting mitigation, departed from the ten‑year mandatory minimum and sentenced Ogbonnaya to two years in prison, back‑dated to his custody entry. The sentence reflects the court's view that the defendant deserves custodial punishment while acknowledging his desire to leave that life behind.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Thief thought he was 'lucky' when he found €43,000 worth of cannabis under a bush. Charges or matters: possession of drugs for sale or supply at an address in the Tallaght area on October 20, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 20, 2020 Incident
• 2025-10-09 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report