Waterford District Court recently heard a case involving a young man who purposely swallowed drugs while being searched by Gardaí.
Adam Halligan (25) of 8 Maplewood, Templars Hall, Waterford appeared before Judge John Cheatle via video link in court this month. He pleaded guilty to a single count of obstruction.
Sergeant Michael Hickey told the court that around 3.20pm on 19 January 2026, Gardaí stopped the accused at Castle Street, Waterford. As Garda members approached the accused, he purposely forced a quantity of drugs into his mouth to avoid being searched, Sgt Hickey said.
It wasn’t mentioned in court what type of drug the accused swallowed.
It was noted that he has 56 previous convictions, including both possession of drugs for personal use and for sale and supply. He is currently serving a sentence for an unrelated matter.
Representing the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that his client offered the ‘earliest possible’ guilty plea, and that he had “never seen him looking so well” when he appeared in court.
Judge Cheatle decided to take the charge into consideration with the sentence the accused is currently serving. He is due to be released in May 2027.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Robyn Power
