Gardai search home and seize €1k worth of cannabis in plastic baggies

A GARDA search of a home in Tallaght which led to the seizure of approximately €1,000 of cannabis contained in small plastic baggies was for personal use, a court heard.

Shane Lawlor (27), Walnut Close, Tallaght, appeared before Tallaght District Court, facing Misuse of Drugs Act charges.

The court heard gardai executed a bench warrant at Mr Lawlor’s home address on May 12, 2023, and discovered cannabis to the value of €1,000.

Although Mr Lawlor was not present at the time of the search, he accepted ownership of the cannabis, which was divided up into small plastic bags and a weighing scales, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Padraig O’Donovan said his client was using the cannabis for personal use to moderate his intake of the substance, by getting it and weighing it into bags.

Taking to the stand, Mr Lawlor told Judge Peter White that he was smoking a lot of cannabis daily and was trying to scale it down.

Mr Lawlor said the cannabis was divided up into individual bags weighing five grammes for personal use of one bag a day, seven days a week, which is why there was numerous baggies.

Gardai didn’t accept the personal use claim, citing that there was a warrant in place and a search of the defendant’s property on the day in question.

Judge White noted the monetary value of the cannabis was “quite high.”

However, taking into account mitigation including no previous convictions, Judge White ordered a probation report on May 1 for sentencing.

Funded by the Local Courts Reporting Scheme