Jailed for 60k drug haul

By Jessica Magee

A 52-year-old man has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for possessing over €60,000 worth of drugs for sale or supply at his Dublin home.

John Ginnelly of Hope Street, Ringsend was in the process of preparing drugs for distribution in his kitchen when gardaí gained access to the house with a search warrant, a court has heard.

The accused told gardaí that he had “green and white” drugs, which was described as a street or colloquial term for cannabis and cocaine.

Ginnelly pleaded guilty to possessing hash resin, cannabis herb, cocaine and benzodiazepine tablets with a total combined value of €60,685 on October 8, 2021.

He further admitted to possessing cash in various denominations to the value of €14,230 as the proceeds of crime on the same occasion.

At a hearing today in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Orla Crowe said Ginnelly had used his home quite openly, with children in it at the time, to engage in drug trafficking at a significant level.

Judge Crowe said Ginnelly was involved in the drugs trade “at a trusted level” and had been preparing a variety of drugs for onward transmission.

Sergeant Conor McShane previously told Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, that the search warrant had been obtained on foot of confidential information about the sale and supply of drugs in the Dublin 4 area.

Sgt McShane said Ginnelly was “quite shocked” when gardaí came in and found him preparing a number of backpacks for distribution with different quantities of drugs.

A kilo of cannabis herb was found in a bedroom and 45 packs of hash resin were discovered in a rear shed.

Packages of cannabis herb were located throughout the house, along with almost €5,000 worth of cocaine in the kitchen and 178 benzodiazepine tablets.

Gardaí also found cash in various denominations, including dollar bills and sterling, to the value of over €14,000.

Drug-dealing paraphernalia including weighing scales, tick lists, bagging material and mobile phones were also seized.

Sgt McShane said Ginnelly had not been on the garda radar until this offence, although he has two previous minor convictions for sale and supply and possession of cannabis dating back to 2010, for which he received 150 hours of community service.

The court heard that not only did Ginnelly tell gardaí that he had “green and white” drugs in the house, but that he directed them where to find the drugs and cooperated with the investigation.

Dean Kelly SC, defending, said Ginnelly was born and raised in Liverpool and worked all his life in construction until the recession.

Thereafter, Ginnelly worked odd jobs in construction and as a plasterer, and also worked for periods with the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Mr Kelly said his client was “shaken to the core” by his conviction and the shame and embarrassment it had brought to his door.

He submitted that Ginnelly was unlikely to reoffend.

Counsel said Ginnelly had used drugs socially throughout his life but that it wasn’t really an issue until the experience of bereavements had made him lean more heavily into drugs and cocaine use, causing him to amass a drug debt.

The court heard that Ginnelly has engaged with the Spellman Centre and is working towards becoming drug-free.

He has worked since January 2022 in a large supermarket.

A handwritten letter from an elderly neighbour of Ginnelly’s was handed in to court, speaking of his kindness and help in relation to shopping, transport and other care needs.

Ginnelly is married with two children.

Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of five years for the drugs offence, but reduced this to three years and nine months on account of mitigating factors including Ginnelly’s early plea and cooperation.

Ginnelly was also sentenced to two years for money-laundering, to run concurrently.

The sentence was backdated to June 8, when Ginnelly went into custody.