Running Cork barber shop may have given man 'opportunity to deal cannabis'

Running a barbershop on Barrack Street in Cork city may have given a 30-year-old man the opportunity to deal cannabis, a sentencing judge remarked.

Judge Sinéad Behan made this comment as she sentenced Boris Ivanov to a period of two years in jail, but fully suspended, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The young man pleaded guilty to having cannabis for sale at a premises on Barrack Street, Cork, and money-laundering.

Boris Ivanov with an address at Barrack Street, Cork, appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court where his barrister Niamh Stewart said he cooperated with the investigation and had no previous convictions.

She said the defendant had come from Bulgaria 18 years ago and had a reasonably successful business as a barber.

“He has not come to the attention of the guards since this was detected three years ago and he is unlikely to come to attention again,” 

Ms Stewart suggested.

Detective Garda Darren Twomey agreed with that.

The first charge states that he was in possession of cannabis on February 15 2023 for sale or supply to others.

The second count is of money-laundering of €1,700 cash where he was in possession of cash, the proceeds of criminal activity, on the same date.

Ms Stewart said Mr Ivanov admitted that the €1,700 was the proceeds of drug-dealing.