Rehab reprieve for man with €77k of cannabis

A Donoughmore man who drove to Dublin and brought back four kilos of cannabis worth over €77,000 pleaded for an opportunity to start rehabilitation before sentencing and the judge told him that if he did not take the chance, “It is goodnight, Vienna”.

33-year-old Patrick Murphy, of Kilmartin Upper, Donoughmore, County Cork, also told Judge Helen Boyle that his partner is pregnant and that he wanted to be there for her and the baby.

Judge Boyle said to the defendant’s senior counsel, Jane Hyland: “Even if I do put this back, I think there is an inevitability about the outcome of this.”

Ms Hyland said the defendant was looking for the opportunity to show that he is clear of drugs, produce urinalysis results, and attend for treatment.

The judge said she would adjourn sentencing until February 19, 2024.

“If you do not engage with it, it is goodnight, Vienna,” Judge Boyle said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Earlier in the hearing, Detective Garda Andrew Manning outlined the circumstances of the drugs seizure.

Gardaí intercepted Patrick Murphy on May 14, 2021, just as he arrived back from his trip to Dublin, and they carried out a search of his van under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

There were two plastic bags in the back of the van and each one of them contained two kilos of cannabis.

The total of the drugs seized amounted to a street value of more that €77,000.

“He made full admissions that he went up to Dublin to collect the cannabis in order to sell it to clear a cocaine debt,” Det Garda Manning said.

Mr Murphy had no previous drugs convictions.

Asked if the accused had come to the adverse attention of gardaí since this incident in May 2021, the detective replied that he had.

Det Garda Manning said the same defendant was before the district court for alleged drug driving.