Man avoids jail term after he held drugs when he became bankrupt

By Paul Neilan

A man who went bankrupt and ended up holding drugs for others has received a fully suspended sentence.

Today at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Ciaran Brennan (42) of Celtic Park Avenue, Beaumont, Dublin 9, for possession of €6,200 worth of cannabis resin.

Brennan pleaded guilty in October to possessing half a kilo of cannabis and other drugs at his home address on February 4, 2020. He has no previous convictions.

Elva Duffy BL prosecuting told Judge Nolan that gardaí found a number of items in a Liverpool FC bag at Brennan’s address on foot of a warrant to search the premises.

Ms Duffy said that four packs of cannabis resin were found in the bag while weighing scales, more cannabis, two ecstasy tablets, magic mushrooms and €505 were also recovered.

Garda Michael Byrne said that when Brennan was arrested he accepted responsibility and was co-operative. Gda Byrne added that Brennan told gardaí that €300 of the money found was for rent and that he had won the rest on a horse.

Seoirse S Ó Dúnlaing BL defending said that Brennan, a father of one, had gone bankrupt and that he had amassed debts.

Counsel said that his client was “vulnerable” and that he had been using cannabis since he was 13.

Mr Ó Dúnlaing said that his client “should have known better at his stage in life” but that “others had leaned on him to do their bidding in holding on to substances”.

Counsel added that Brennan had no previous convictions, was a loving father and now has his own carpentry business.

Judge Nolan said that the charge was “quite serious” in that Brennan was holding the drugs for a third party to sell them on for a profit.

The judge gave Brennan credit for his co-operation with gardaí, his work history and for making admissions in the case.

Judge Nolan sentenced Brennan to two years’ imprisonment, but fully suspended the sentence on conditions including that he enter into a bond to be of good behaviour for two years.