'These people are not your friends' judge tells Cork man on drugs charge

A vulnerable man got involved in storing a €17,000 stash of cannabis, more in an effort make friends rather than make money and he was also acting with some degree of fear, it emerged at his sentencing hearing.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed a fully suspended sentence of two years and six months on Cormac Fitzpatrick at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The judge also had this advice for the 45-year-old: “Those people are not your friends.” 

The offence of having cannabis for sale or supply at Cormac Fitzgerald’s apartment at South Terrace, Cork, was detected on November 13 2024 when Detective Garda Eoin Harrington and other officers executed a search warrant, granted on the basis of confidential information.

The 45-year-old was asleep in the bedroom where gardaí found two packets containing cannabis with a total street value in excess of €17,000.

Forensic Science Ireland examined the drugs and determined that this was the value of the drugs seized in the operation.

Det Garda Harrington said that when questioned about the matter, Mr Fitzpatrick, who was living in accommodation provided through the homeless charity Focus Ireland, said: 

“I wasn’t making any money out if it. Someone might throw me some drugs. I did it more for the friendship of people.” 

The defendant had 63 previous convictions, only one of which was for having drugs for his own use, and none for dealing. The vast majority of his convictions were for public order offences.

Defence barrister Abigail Creed said the defendant was storing these drugs for other unnamed individuals. She suggested that he presented as quite a vulnerable man and the detective agreed with this description.

Ms Creed also said: “He was under pressure to store these.” 

Det Garda Harrington said: “That is a real possibility.” 

The barrister said that Cormac Fitzpatrick was raised in Mallow and studied computer science and went to America for a period. She said he was injured in a serious traffic accident. He suffered from mental health issues and developed a serious dependence on alcohol.

“He suffers from loneliness and a serious depressive illness,” Ms Creed added.

Judge Boyle said: “You are a vulnerable person suffering from a psychiatric illness as well as addictions. You were a store person for drugs not receiving monetary gain – storing drugs for other people you were afraid of. Obviously, people who pressured you to storing drugs were not your friends.

“It is a significant quantity of drugs. Cannabis can kickstart psychosis and destroy people’s future and lives.

“You saved the State the time and expense of a trial by pleading guilty. You have a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. You are at a high risk of reoffending. The probation service say you need as much professional support as possible.” 

In all the circumstances, the judge imposed two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence.