Wicklow woman who smoked 28 joints a day given suspended sentence over €45,000 cannabis haul
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow woman who claimed she was smoking up to 28 cannabis joints a day has received a fully suspended sentence after being caught with drugs worth €45,000.
Sarah Byrne (44), of Woodview, Ballinalea, Ashford, appeared at a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing.
She pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled drug for the purpose of sale or supply, contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Garda James Quirke testified that on January 14, 2025, gardaí executed a search warrant at Ms Byrne’s home address. During the search of the four-bedroom terraced house, gardaí discovered €45,000 worth of cannabis stored in the attic.
He added that the cannabis was largely packed together, with some in individual baggies.
Ms Byrne was arrested and detained at the scene before admitting the drugs were hers. During questioning, Ms Byrne declined to say where the drugs came from and stated that they were for her personal use.
The court was told that the cannabis weighed 2.2 kilos and was valued using Garda national price guidelines, which estimate €20 per gram.
Counsel for the prosecution, James Kelly BL, said Ms Byrne’s claim that the drugs were for personal use was “outlandish, as it would be gone off by the time you smoked it all”.
He added that the accused has seven previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences, and one public order offence from 2014.
Gda Quirke said he was aware the defendant is a council tenant on social welfare and described her as being “of minimal means”. Mr Kelly said the accused had no “trappings of wealth”.
Senior counsel for the defence, Carl Hanahoe, instructed by solicitor Dermot Hickey, told the court that Ms Byrne had been smoking up to 28 cannabis joints per day.
He said she would occasionally sell small amounts to friends but was primarily holding the drugs on behalf of a third party following the death of her son linked to a criminal organisation.
Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin asked whether Ms Byrne was involved in organised crime. Gda Quirke said she was not “management in an organised crime gang”.
Mr Hanahoe told the court that clean urine analysis was available and that Ms Byrne is actively involved in her local GAA club, where she plays on a Mothers and Others team and helped set it up.
Judge Ní Chúlacháin asked how she could “smoke 28 joints a day and be able to play on the team”.
Defence counsel said she is a single mother whose children are now grown up and involved in third-level education or full-time employment.
“She has much to be proud of, all her children did exceptionally well,” said Mr Hanahoe.
He asked the court not to impose the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, which can only be avoided in exceptional circumstances.
Mr Hanahoe pointed to mitigating factors including her prior good character, her admissions and what he described as an “abundance of reasons” not to send her to prison.
In sentencing, Judge Ní Chúlacháin said “drugs are a scourge” and that those who profit from them “wouldn’t survive without people like Ms Byrne”.
She noted the accused’s prior good character, her role as a single mother and her children “doing exceptionally well”.
The judge imposed a three-year sentence, but suspended it in its entirety for three years on condition that Ms Byrne remains drug-free and engages with services and her local GAA club.