Man jailed for four years and five months over €680,000 drug haul

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

Valdas Sakinis (40) was jailed for four years and five months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and zopiclone tablets for sale or supply. The offences took place at Mount Seskin Road, Tallaght, on June 29, 2024. The proceedings were reported on November 11, 2025.

The court heard that gardaí noticed Sakinis standing at a storage unit wearing latex gloves. The investigating garda said he seemed nervous. Cannabis worth €200 was found on him; Sakinis later said it was for personal use. Gardaí found clingfilm, a small amount of ketamine and a storage-unit key in a van. About 33.4kg of cannabis, valued at €668,000, and tablets valued at €12,600 were found in the unit.

The garda agreed with defence counsel Michael Hourigan SC that Sakinis had entered an early guilty plea, provided access to his phone, had a work history in Ireland and was not a person of assets. It was also accepted that he had drawn attention to himself, was a “gillie” and had accumulated large gambling debts. Counsel asked the court to consider his plea, cooperation and a letter from his priest in Lithuania.

Judge Martin Nolan accepted that Sakinis was at the lower to middle end, probably lower, of the offending and was not the owner of the drugs. He noted the mitigation and that custody can be more challenging for foreign nationals.