€17k cash discovered stashed in fridge at West Cork property during drugs search

Gardaí carrying out a drugs search at a house in Bantry found over €17,000 in cash stashed in the fridge and they found over €4,000 worth of cannabis at other locations in the property.

Detective Garda Andrew Manning went to the home of Henry Hegarty at the time at Ballylickey in Bantry, County Cork, on December 10 2019.

Henry Hegarty was not present in person but the warrant was presented and the search was commenced.

The cannabis totalling €4,178 was found in the hot press, the main bedroom and utility room.

Also found during the search was a letter which the accused had written promising that he would stop dealing drugs, the detective said.

Inside the fridge €17,270 was found.

It was accepted by the prosecution at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that €15,000 of this money was legitimately loaned by a third party to the accused so that he could pay monies owed to the Revenue Commissioners and others. This money was returned to the defendant.

The remaining €2,270 was forfeited to the state.

Det Garda Manning said that when Hegarty was interviewed in relation to the drugs he tried to diminish his own responsibility in the matter, saying he was sharing or giving the drugs to friends. The detective said: “I think it was more than that.” 

The 43-year-old had a number of enterprises in the food business prior to this.

Emmet Boyle, defence barrister said the native of Bantry, now living at Weir Street in Bandon, went to boarding school in Leinster where he played rugby. Mr Boyle said the defendant was now divorced and that at the time of this offence of having cannabis for sale or supply he was heavily abusing substances.

Mr Boyle said that people spoke well of the accused and that he had worked since his early 20s and had at times been an employer also. 

Judge Helen Boyle said an aggravating factor in the case was that the accused had the trappings of drug-dealing in the form of weighing scales and deal bags.

In terms of mitigation he did not have previous drug-related convictions and had a good work and sports history.

The judge imposed a total sentence of two years suspended.