A Waterford man recently received a suspended sentence for drug possession charges.
Ian McCarthy (34) of Apt 8, The Sycamores, Waterford, appeared at a sitting of Waterford District Court this month for three charges of being in possession of drugs including cannabis, diazepam, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) contrary to Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, three charges of possessing drugs for the purposes of supplying them to others, contrary to Section 15 of the same act, and a charge of driving without insurance, contrary to Section 56 (1) and (3) of the Road Traffic Act, which related to an incident where he was stopped by Gardaí while driving in John’s Hill on 28 November, 2024.
Sergeant Michael Hickey told the court that on the day in question, Gardaí stopped Mr Carthy after they observed him driving through a red light. Upon speaking to the accused, Gardaí discovered that he was driving without insurance, and they seized his vehicle. He was later arrested after a search of the vehicle by Gardaí led to a discovery of over €6,500 worth of cannabis in the glove compartment.
The court heard that after the accused was arrested, he made admissions to holding the item for someone else. Gardaí later found €30 worth of the muscle-relaxant drug diazepam and a ‘minimal’ amount of THC after they conducted a search of his house.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham told the court that his client previously worked abroad in Canada, and developed an addiction to cannabis after he was involved in an accident while living there. He stated that the accused has no previous convictions, and was identified as a “vulnerable candidate” for holding the drug as a result of his addiction, to pay off a debt to someone “higher up.”
Mr Cunningham highlighted that it was a routine traffic stop, and when his client’s vehicle and house were searched by Gardaí, nothing of “evidential value,”such as drugs paraphernalia, was discovered. He concluded by saying that the accused has lived with the “ stress and jeopardy” of this since November 2024, and was happy to plead guilty to the charges at the first possible opportunity.
Judge John Cheatle gave the accused credit for his guilty plea, and said that Mr Cunningham made a valid point about no drugs paraphernalia being discovered. However, Judge Cheatle stated that the matter was “still serious” and that he was concerned about the amount of cannabis that was discovered. He added that the finding of the other drugs “piggybacked” on this.
Judge Cheatle handed the accused a 10 month sentence, to be suspended for 12 months, for the charges relating to Section 15, and gave him a €200 fine for driving without insurance. Judge Cheatle decided to take the other charges into consideration, and also made a destruction order for the drugs.
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