Man told gardaí he found three shotgun cartridges and a bag containing over €19,000 of cannabis in a local park

By Roisin Nic Gabhann and Eimear Dodd

A man who told gardai he found three shotgun cartridges and a bag containing over €19,000 of cannabis in a local park has been handed a suspended three-year sentence.

Anthony White (59) of Silloge Park, Ballymun, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply and unlawful possession of three shotgun cartridges.

When interviewed by gardai, White said he found the black bag in a local area “where the bikes are burned”, but didn’t know what was in it. He said he found the shotgun cartridges in the same area. He said he hid them as he didn’t want his brother to find them.

When asked by Judge Martin Nolan about White’s explanation for the presence of the drugs, Garda Tommy Kinneally said he did not accept it.

Having heard the facts of the case on Monday, Judge Nolan adjourned the case overnight to consider sentence.

Yesterday, he said the court had to infer from the facts of the case that White was holding the drugs for some type of small reward.

Having considered the mitigation and White’s personal circumstances, Judge Nolan said the court considered it was unlikely that White would re-offend, that he was taken advantage of to some degree and that his level of culpability was low.

He said White was a “mature man” and would have known what he was doing was wrong but the court had concluded there was “little use in sending this man to prison”. He imposed a three-year sentence, suspended on strict conditions.

Gda Kinneally told John Moher BL, prosecuting, that White’s home was searched under warrant on August 20, 2024.

A large black bag containing 995g of cannabis, valued at €19,900, was found in his bedroom.

Gardai also found three shotgun cartridges, wrapped in tissue and cling film, under a sofa in the room.

Analysis of the shotgun cartridges found them to be in fair condition, the court was told.

After being cautioned at the scene, White took ownership of the cannabis and shotgun cartridges.

He was arrested and interviewed, having declined to have a solicitor present.

He also gave his phone and pin number to gardai. White has no previous convictions.

The witness agreed with Tony McGillicuddy SC, defending, that White has not come to other garda attention and has no trappings of wealth.

It was further accepted that White took responsibility at the scene and signed the garda’s notebook.

Mr McGillicuddy told the court that White lives “quietly” in a “deprived” part of Ballymun and is working on a Community Employment (CE) scheme as a groundskeeper for a local GAA club.

Several references were handed into court.

Mr McGillicuddy said his client’s explanation was “not one that would find any credibility in any forum”, adding that the garda “didn’t believe it and I don’t expect the court will either”.

Counsel said he is instructed that White was asked to hold the items. He said while his client has no previous convictions, he did receive the benefit of the Probation Act for possession of a small amount of cannabis.

He said his client had been using small amounts of cannabis on a daily basis.

Mr McGillicuddy submitted that his client’s offending was at the lower end of the scale for both offences.

He said his client is at a stage of his life when he should have known better than to get involved in criminality, and asked the court to consider his client’s early guilty plea, admissions, and co-operation with gardai.