Shaun O’Callaghan, of 196 Rathpeacon Road, Cork, was jailed for three years after admitting he had cannabis for sale or supply.[1] Detective Garda Michael Abernethy told the sentencing hearing that O’Callaghan admitted possessing cannabis for sale or supply at an address on Commons Road, Cork, on February 27, 2025, when its value exceeded €13,000.[1][2] Gardaí with a warrant searched the house where the accused was living and found three kilos of cannabis, valued at €56,000, in a large black plastic bag in a shed at the rear of the house.[1]

Judge Helen Boyle set a headline sentence of seven and a half years, reduced it to five for the guilty plea, and suspended the last two years to encourage his rehabilitation.[1] The judge said she could depart from the 10-year minimum sentence that the €13,000 value threshold would otherwise attract.[1][2] Boyle said O’Callaghan had five convictions for having drugs for sale or supply and that his life had been destroyed by drugs.[1][2] The judge told the defendant he brought danger to the owner’s home by storing cannabis at the house without her knowing.[1][2]

Defence senior counsel Donal O’Sullivan said O’Callaghan had addiction problems at the time and had since attended Tabor Lodge and Coolmine and was actively engaged in treatment.[1] The judge said the 33-year-old had not dealt with issues related to grief and that relapse was the big risk factor for him.[1][2]