Great-grandmother jailed for having nearly €70,000 worth of cannabis under her bed

By Isabel Hayes

A great-grandmother who was caught with nearly €70,000 worth of cannabis under her bed has been jailed for 15 months.

Irene Cahill (69) pleaded guilty to three counts relating to the possession of large quantities of cannabis, which was found in the bedroom of her home at Cherrywood Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin on June 16, 2023.

The cannabis, which was seized by gardaí during a raid, had a street value of around €68,800, George Burns BL, prosecuting, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The court heard Cahill had a long history of drug addiction dating back to her youth.

When arrested, she told gardai the cannabis was not hers, but she was holding it as a family member was “in trouble” and owed a drug debt of €7,000.

She admitted she had taken small portions of the cannabis, which she said she “handed out”.

She told gardaí she had been holding the drugs for about four weeks and it was her first time doing such a thing.

She has no previous convictions.

Sentencing Cahill yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan said apart from her age, the case was very similar to other such drug offences that come before the court.

He acknowledged that Cahill made full admissions, had no record of conviction and had a history of drug addiction.

He said had she been younger he would have thought a sentence of three to four years would be appropriate before he jailed Cahill for 15 months.

Michael Hourigan SC, defending, said his client co-operated fully with the investigation.

He said she has a lengthy history with addiction, has been recovering since 1990 and remains on methadone.

He said she is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and is “at an age where prison would be deemed a much harsher penalty”.

He said she has not come to garda attention prior to this offence and has no previous convictions “notwithstanding her own difficulties with drugs”.