No jail for Cork man’s role in drugs crime

A €63,000 stash of cannabis and cocaine was found in a Garda search of a shipping container in Cork, and now one of the men involved has been given a fully suspended sentence.

Scott Hughes had faced the possibility of minimum sentence of 10 years because of the scale of the drugs crime, but Judge Colin Daly said that exceptional circumstances of this case allowed him to depart from the mandatory minimum sentence.

Judge Daly said the exceptional and specific circumstances for Scott Hughes, of Briars Court, Shanakiel, Cork, included what the judge described as a diagnosis of a rare, long-term, life-limiting medical condition which would require medical care outside of Ireland.

He said that serving a prison sentence would be exceptionally difficult for the accused in those circumstances.

Judge Daly imposed a four-year sentence which was fully suspended, on condition that the accused would have no further offences in the next four years.

Detective Sergeant Fergal Long said the accused was caught in this enterprise within two months of his release from prison on another sentence from drug-dealing.

The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to having drugs for sale or supply at New Park, Centre Park Road, Cork, on June 9, 2021, at a time when the value of the drugs exceeded €13,000 — the threshold figure for the minimum sentence of 10 years.

Det Sgt Long said a container on Centre Park Road was the focus of the garda search on the occasion.

Gardaí went to the container and found the accused man and an accomplice at this location.

A large quantity of cannabis was found in a cabinet within the container.

The accomplice had leased the container in a false name.

Det Sgt Long said the accused was interviewed.

“He made full and frank admissions, and said his role was to weigh, bag cannabis and cocaine, and bring it to customers across Cork city. He was only out of jail since April 2021,” the detective said.

The sentence he completed two months before this crime was detected was for having cocaine and cannabis at his residence.

Defence senior counsel Ray Boland put it to the witness, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, that the defendant’s accomplice was the main organiser of this enterprise.

He replied that Mr Hughes was a willing participant in the criminal scheme to prepare drugs for distribution across Cork city.

The accomplice was dealt with previously. He was described at his sentencing hearing as being addicted to drugs and owing a large drug debt.

A sentence of three years was imposed on him, with the last six months suspended. He was also convicted of a money laundering offence, in relation to €2,310 cash found in his possession in the course of this investigation.