Dublin man (21) had cannabis jellies among €2,000 garden drug stash

Joseph Clerkin (21) was caught in possession of the drugs when gardaí searched his home.

He was ordered to carry out community service instead of a two-month prison sentence.

Clerkin pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to sell or supply at his home at Longdale Terrace, Ballymun, Dublin.

Dublin District Court heard gardaí searched the house under a warrant on March 9, 2021. The accused was present and brought them to the back garden where they found hidden 100 grammes of cannabis and five packets of cannabis jellies, with a total value of €2,050. Gardaí also found €1,205 in cash.

When asked about the drugs, the accused told gardaí he had been selling cannabis to make some extra money.

He had a previous conviction but not for sale or supply of drugs.

“To his credit”, Clerkin had indicated early on that he wanted to plead guilty, his solicitor Rory Staines said.

He had a “significant problem with cannabis” at the time of the incident but he had since stopped taking the drug, Mr Staines said.

He hoped to get back to work soon and Clerkin accepted that it was a “significant amount of drugs”.

Judge Treasa Kelly said the accused had been found with a serious amount of drugs and asked for him to be assessed for suitability for community service.

The case was adjourned briefly while this was done and when Clerkin came back to court, the judge was told he was deemed suitable by the Probation Service.

The judge ordered him to carry out 150 hours of community service in lieu of two months in prison.

She warned if he breached the order he could be brought back to court and the sentence imposed.