Gambler jailed for cannabis grow house role

By Fiona Ferguson

A man who claims efforts to repay gambling debts led him into involvement in an almost half a million euro cannabis grow house operation has been jailed.

Aurimas Matusa (46) of Hallwell Crescent, Lucan, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis herb, cannabis resin and cannabis plants at Foxborough Drive, Lucan, on February 28, 2025 . He has no previous convictions.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that 72 plants were found in the house and Matusa claimed that 20kg cannabis to the value of over €400,000 also discovered had been from a previous crop.

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said Matusa was a mature man who made a very bad decision. He noted Matusa had been led astray by his addiction but said people have to deal with addictions in non criminal ways.

The judge noted Matusa’s early guilty plea, cooperation, lack of prior offending and good work history.

Judge Nolan set a headline sentence of six and a half to seven years. Noting the substantial mitigation he reduced this to three and a quarter years.

Garda Declan Buckley told Marc Murphy BL, prosecuting, that following on from information obtained during the arrest of another individual for drugs offences, gardai searched the Lucan address.

Matusa arrived during the search and told gardai he had been growing the plants for eight months.

Gda Buckley said in addition to 72 cannabis plants being grown in two upstairs bedrooms equipped with heating and watering systems, gardai also recovered cannabis herb valued at €410,000 and cannabis resin valued at €23,000. Matusa told gardai the drugs were from a previous harvest.

The total value of drugs and plants recovered was €490,800

Matusa was arrested and questioned. He said he was growing the cannabis as he was under pressure to repay a gambling debt.

Gda Buckley agreed with Gerardine Small SC, defending, that he told gardai he was trying to work off a debt, had been threatened and this was his second crop of cannabis. He agreed there was no trappings of wealth and that Matusa caused no difficulty to the gardai.

Ms Small said Matusa came from Lithuania to Ireland in 2008 and had a very strong work history. She said he is well regarded and spoken of in positive terms by his current employer.

She said he got into difficulties with gambling and built up a considerable debt as he was not earning enough. An arrangement was put in place that he could pay the debt by this means.

She said he had co-operated with the investigation in relation to his own role and pleaded guilty at a very early stage. She said he was a single man with no dependents.