Cabinet maker jailed for €3.9 million cannabis possession 

By Jessica Magee 

A cabinet maker who admitted possessing cannabis to the value of €3.9 million has been sentenced to nine years in prison, with one suspended, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. 

Justin McCormack (43), of Distillery Buildings, Distillery Road, Dublin 3, pleaded guilty to possessing the drugs for sale or supply at a business unit in Fairview and in a white transit van on October 11 and 12 last year. 

McCormack, originally from Boyle, Co Roscommon, was described by his defence counsel as an “ordinary, hard-working man” who had worked full-time for 20 years as a cabinet maker. 

At a hearing last month, defence counsel Dean Kelly SC said McCormack found himself in financial trouble and took the opportunity to transport drugs out of “financial desperation and impaired judgement, arising from drink and drug use”. 

Counsel said McCormack had “no wealth, no assets, no money,” adding: “That does not a serious drug dealer make.” 

Sentencing McCormack today, Judge Orla Crowe acknowledged his mortgage arrears but said that a lot of people have mortgage arrears and do not involve themselves in crime. 

She also noted that he had made an immediate admission in the van, however, she said that there were significant aggravating factors. 

“Clearly, he was trusted to store huge amounts of drugs, which he was transporting around the city,” she said.

“His active involvement can’t be overlooked.” 

She imposed concurrent sentences of nine years on each count, and she suspended the final 12 months. 

The sentence was backdated to when he went into custody in October 2023. 

At a previous hearing, Detective Garda Seán Ryan told Caroline Lantham BL, prosecuting, that McCormack was driving a white transit van with a large crack in the windscreen and a broken wing mirror when he was pulled over by gardaí on the evening of October 11 last. 

Gardaí described McCormack as “highly evasive and agitated” but said he immediately told them, “There is stuff in the van.” 

Gardaí noticed a strong smell of cannabis and found a large quantity of drugs wrapped in clear plastic bags and packed into two boxes in the back of the van. 

They also seized a set of keys and a phone and driving licence in someone else’s name. 

McCormack was taken into custody that night and during the early hours of the following morning, gardaí got a 999 call reporting a burglary at a business unit on Esmond Avenue in Fairview. 

A caretaker at the premises reported that the lock had been broken on one of the business units which had been leased to McCormack’s father.

McCormack had been using the unit to trade as a kitchen manufacturer. 

The caretaker saw boxes of what he thought was cannabis thrown everywhere outside the door of the unit and went to phone gardaí.

When he returned, the boxes had been cleared and the door was locked. 

Another witness, who had been preparing for a CrossFit class in a neighbouring unit at 5am, told gardaí that McCormack’s unit had been broken into. 

Further witnesses reported that they had seen “comings and goings” at the unit, had noticed some flashlights shining after midnight and had seen men unloading things from a small van. 

Gardaí searched the unit and found 1,174 kg of cannabis in vacuum-sealed bags stacked up to the ceiling. 

These drugs and the cannabis found in the van were analysed and had a combined value of €3.9 million. 

McCormack has one previous conviction for a road traffic offence dating back to 2014. 

McCormack was detained by gardaí for three days during which he was interviewed six times. 

He told gardaí he had been contacted by a drug dealer who requested €100 worth of coke, but that he didn’t have the money to carry that out and was then offered the opportunity to transport drugs. 

Det Gda Ryan agreed with counsel for the defence that McCormack had not been on the garda radar prior to this offence. 

The court heard that McCormack worked for his uncle as a cabinet maker from his late teens for over 20 years, before he left to set up his own business in 2021. 

The prosecuting garda also agreed that McCormack had run into significant legitimate debt at the time of his arrest, including rent on his lock-up unit, business debt and his mortgage. 

Mr Kelly said that as McCormack’s business began to fail and his debts got worse, he came into contact with people who gave him the opportunity to make money by transporting drugs. 

Numerous letters were handed to the court including from McCormack’s parents, from a former employer who described him as hardworking and a batch of letters from members of St Brendan’s GAA club, who also made it clear they don’t condone his activities in any way. 

Counsel said the affection in which McCormack was held by the sports club was measured by the fact that there were seven club members, including the chairman, present in court.  

Mr Kelly said his client’s life was dominated by “hard work and involvement in sport” but also by occasional bouts of drinking. 

McCormack began using cocaine in his early 30s to deal with the effects of his heavy drinking, the court heard, until his cocaine use became “very significant and destructive”. 

“He found himself in very significant financial trouble and he took the opportunity to collect drugs over a period, in circumstances of financial desperation and impaired judgement arising from drink and drug use,” said Mr Kelly. 

Counsel said McCormack comes from a loving, law-abiding, pro-social and decent family and has made the best possible use of his time in prison, as evidenced by a prison governor’s report. 

He is working in the prison officers’ mess and kitchen and has been moved from Cloverhill to Castlerea Prison, the court heard. 

Mr Kelly said his client cooperated with gardaí although he exercised his right to silence in that he was at pains not to indicate anyone else who may have been involved.