Man had over €3,000 worth of cannabis for sale
Carlow courthouse Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A DEFENDANT who admitted to having €3,200 worth of cannabis for sale in the carpark of a well-known shop in Carlow town was last week handed a prison sentence when he appeared before the local district court.
Saifellasr Adam (25) pleaded guilty in court to having the cannabis for sale or supply when he was approached by gardaí in the carpark of Mr Price, Kennedy Avenue, Carlow on 7 September last year. Sergeant Peter Smyth told the court that gardaí found the cannabis in small bags, along with a set of scales, on Mr Adam that day and that he admitted to owning it for his own use but not for selling it. He added that Mr Adam of Millrace Green, Burrin Road, Carlow had six previous convictions.
The case had previously been before the court, with Judge Carthy adjourning finalisation so that a probation report could be prepared on Mr Adam.
Last week, solicitor Alex Rafter said that the report found there were concerns about the defendant’s relationship with cannabis but said that his client had had a bad fall where he sustained a fractured skull and that he was self-medicating with the drug. Mr Rafter continued that the Probation Service recommended that Mr Adam attend a treatment service, and that he was willing to do that.
Mr Rafter said that he knew that the value of the drugs was “concerning” and that the court took the offence “very seriously”, but that Mr Adam hadn’t been back before the court since.
When he asked the judge to give his client “a chance”, she replied that the quantity of drugs that Mr Adam had in his possession was “quite stark” and that she must consider the effects that drugs had on the community of Carlow.
She added that the defendant told the probation service that if he didn’t sell drugs to the public, then they’d just buy them from someone else, and that he was aware of what he was doing.
She then sentenced him to eight months’ imprisonment and recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.
