Man found with drugs after garda smelled cannabis at car crash scene

A MAN caught with €50-worth of cannabis and €50-worth of amphetamine six days before he was tried and ultimately convicted of drug dealing on a separate incident was fined €400 at Listowel District Court on Thursday.

Piotr Skwira, 119 Rock St Village, Tralee, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of drugs, before Judge David Waters - each detected at Listowel Garda Station on September 13 of 2018.

The court heard how a garda had detected the drugs after his suspicions were aroused by the smell of cannabis wafting from the car in which Mr Skwira was.

The court heard he had 23 previous convictions, including two for unlawful possession and one for possession with intent to sell or supply; the latter resulting in a fine of €300 at court on September 19 of 2018.

The date of the offences before the court on Thursday was September 13, just six days before the hearing on the possession with intent to sell or supply Judge Waters noted.

“It doesn’t look like he’s learning,” the Judge remarked.

Solicitor Pat Mann said the 2018 possession with intent to supply conviction was dealt with by way of a fine as the court then heard how his client was in the grip of a ‘serious addiction problem’.

However he has now dealt with that problem and is in a new relationship ‘and is getting on quite well’, Mr Mann said.

“This arose when Mr Skwira was in a car accident...Gda Naughton arrived at the scene and got the smell of cannabis from the car. He searched him and found cannabis and amphetamines,” Mr Mann informed the Judge, adding:

“Mr Skwira gave a full inculpatory statement to gardaí subsequently...for something he wanted to get out of.”

Judge Waters noted that the possession charges predate the conviction, but remarked that Mr Skwira was ‘due in court’ nonetheless at the time of the offences. He fined him €400 on the unlawful possession of amphetamine charge , convicting him also on the cannabis charge while taking it into consideration.