‘Small time player’ sold cannabis from his home

A MAN who had cannabis hidden in his bathroom was jailed at a recent sitting of Wicklow Circuit Court.

Matthew Murray ( 20), 16 St Patrick’s Square, Bray was charged with possession of cannabis with the intention of sale or supply at his address on September 7, 2011.

Garda John O’Reilly said he found a large ziplock bag containing cannabis behind a bath frame.

Bags and a weighing scale were also found in the house as well as cash and a notebook with names and amounts leading gardai to believe it contained details of people who owed drugs money.

In total 239.267 grammes of cannabis was found with a street value of €4,800 on the basis of a price of €20 per gramme.

Murray denied the money in the house was as a result of drugs saying he had saved it. He accepted he intended selling the cannabis for profit.

Under cross-examination from defending counsel Orla Crowe, BL, Garda O’Reilly accepted that at the time cannabis had a value of €12 per gramme giving a street value of €3,000 at the time.

Ms. Crowe said Murray who is a long term relationship was supported in court by his mother and girlfriend.

She said he came from a respectable background and ‘people tried very hard to look out for him’.

Ms. Crowe said ‘ the probation report makes for rather grim reading’ saying Murray is ‘ immature due to his age and lacks a certain insight’.

She said he has ‘ broken his mother’s heart’ and came before the court when his partner is going through a difficult time.

Judge Michael O’Shea said while he accepted Murray is ‘a small time player’ he was ‘ using his house for the weighing, bagging and selling of drugs’. He handed down a two and a half year sentence suspending the final year on condition Murray be of good behaviour for two years from the date of his release.