James Ryan jailed for possession of drugs for sale or supply

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

James Ryan was jailed for four years for possessing drugs for sale or supply. He pleaded guilty to the charge. The proceedings were reported on 20 October 2021.

The offence took place at Scholarstown Road, Dublin 16, on 11 August 2020. Gardaí found four 5kg packages of cannabis herb in the boot of Ryan’s car; analysis put their estimated street value at €395,600.

Ryan told gardaí he was moving the drugs to pay off the last of a drug debt. Garda John Morrissey agreed with defence counsel Micheal O’Higgins SC that Ryan’s claim that he was in debt had the ring of truth.

Judge Martin Nolan said he could accept Ryan had been coerced, while also saying Ryan probably knew what he was doing was wrong. The judge imposed the four-year prison term.