A 39-YEAR-old Lithuanian man caught with €12,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply in Douglas has been given a suspended two-and-a-half-year sentence.

Tomas Paradauskas of Bracken Court, Donnybrook, Douglas, confirmed his signed plea of guilty when he appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The charge stated that on March 9, 2020, he had cannabis for sale or supply.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed the fully suspended jail term on the Lithuanian man who admitted holding cannabis for an unnamed person. The drugs had a street value of €12,000.

He has been in Ireland for 17 years and has been in full-time employment throughout that time.

The 39-year-old was described as fully cooperative with the garda investigation into his activities.

Defence barrister Dermot Sheehan said the accused has a young family and he works hard and he has not come to garda attention since this crime was detected.

Judge Boyle said: “An aggravating factor was that he was knowingly holding drugs for distribution. I accept he was at the lower end of the scale working as a store person.

“Mitigating factors include the signed plea of guilty and that he has no relevant previous convictions.”

A sentence of two-and-a-half years was imposed, suspended on condition that he keeps the peace and is of good behaviour for two and a half years.