Man spared jail for role in cannabis factory

A FORMER ADDICT who made an ‘inspirational’ recovery has been spared jail again for his role in the biggest cannabis growing facility ever found in Ireland, according to gardaí.

Christopher Zinck (33), of Ballinbanogue, New Ross, along with Rory Kilkenny (33), of Nash, Dunmain, New Ross, had pleaded guilty at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply at Kidalton, Piltown, County Kilkenny, on May 2, 2013. Kilkenny was sentenced to four years imprisonment, while Zinck was given a wholly suspended nine year sentence by Judge Alice Doyle on May 20, 2015.

However, on foot of an undue leniency application last year, the Court of Appeal resentenced Kilkenny to 12 years imprisonment with the final four suspended.

Zinck’s case was put back one year in the hope that the ‘exceptional’ rehabilitation he had achieved to date could be maintained.

Counesl for Zinck, David Staunton BL, told the threejudge court on Monday that Zinck had maintained his rehabilitation, was still in employment and was exploring the question of self-employment.

Mr Justice George Birmingham said the chance originally given to Zinck in the circuit court had been taken with determination. He said it would not be appropriate to now send him to prison. He said Zinck would have a ‘very significant’ suspended sentence hanging over him, increasing the headline sentence from nine to ten years but he suspended all ten years.

Giving judgment, Mr Justice Birmingham said the gardaí searched two industrial units at Piltwon on the date in question and inside they found 2,504 cannabis plants and 43.54 kgs of cannabis herb. The court was told that the value of the drugs was €2,874,174.

The figure was a notional one in the sense that it was calculated on the basis of what the crop would be worth when all plants came to maturity and did not represent an actual value on the day of the search.

It was the gardaí’s belief that this was the ‘ biggest cannabis growing facility ever located in the country’, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

Three Asian gardeners were arrested at the scene and sentenced to seven years imprisonment with the final six suspended on condition they each leave the country immediately. They had been in custody for approximately a year before sentencing.

Zinck was arrested and admitted his involvement explaining that he was not to share in the profits but was to receive a fee of €5,000 for his involvement. He told gardaí he was involved in delivering items – food, phone credit and a few small electrical things - to Chinese people working in the grow house. The circuit court had heard from Dr William Collins of Wharton House treatment centre in Waterford who said Zinck was ‘exceptional’ for the radical change he had made in his life which was only achieved by a small percentage of clients, according to his 30 years of experience.

Zinck had slowly emerged from a painful and challenging path to become ‘ bright, capable, hopeful for the future, hardworking, a good father to his newborn daughter, good partner to his girlfriend and a considerate son’. Zinck had been drug free for 18 months at the time, Dr Collins said.

A second psychologist, who had attended court three times on his behalf, made similar remarks about Zinck’s ‘inspirational recovery’.