A €200 fine was imposed on a Wexford teen who was caught in possession of nearly €100 worth of cannabis after he alighted from a train at Ceannt Station.
Conor O’Grady (19 ) with an address given as Mooretown, Bridgetown, Wexford, appeared at Galway District Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis resin at Ceannt Station, Galway, on October 16, 2010.
The court heard that gardai had received information regarding a number of individuals on a train who were suspected of being in possession of drugs. At 10pm at Ceannt Station the defendant was stopped and searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Inspector Sean Glynn said that after being searched O’Grady was found in possession of cannabis to the value of €96 and had told gardai that it was for his own use.
O’Grady, representing himself, told Judge Mary Fahy that he is orginally from Wexford and is a first year apprentice electrician who now rents accommodation in Dublin. He added that he had come down to Galway on October 16 to celebrate his birthday.
Judge Fahy noted that it was “very unusual” for a defendant, on a charge like this, to be found in possession of cannabis with a value that seemed quite high. She added that it was more usual for the amount to be in the region of €5.
“I only paid €40 for it,” replied O’Grady.
“Are you smoking cannabis all the time?”asked Judge Fahy, to which O’Grady replied: “No”. Judge Fahy then asked whether the defendant had been carrying cannabis for his other companions. “No, it was a piece,” said O’Grady.
Inspector Glynn then explained that there had been four people in total involved in the incident and that none of the rest had been in possession. He added that sometimes people buy cannabis at a lesser street value.
After hearing the evidence, Judge Fahy convicted O’Grady and fined him €200 with three months to pay.
