By Eimear Dodd
A man who delivered €290,000 of cannabis to a Dublin house has been jailed for three years.
Matthew Jenkinson (27) pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for sale or supply at St Ignatius Road, Drumcondra on June 3, 2024.
Garda Philip Lavery told Simon Matthews BL, prosecuting, that a house on St Ignatius Road was searched as there were concerns that cannabis was being sold from the premises.
When the house was searched, 14.5kg of cannabis valued at €290,000 was found, in a large black suitcase. The co-accused took ownership of the suitcase.
A hard drive containing CCTV was also seized. The footage showed a white Ford Focus arriving at the property earlier that day. Jenkinson exited the vehicle, carrying the large black suitcase which he brought to the property.
The co-accused has already been dealt with by the courts and was jailed for two years and nine months.
When interviewed by Gardaí, Jenkinson made no admissions in relation to the drugs, but accepted ownership of the van.
He has no relevant previous convictions.
Responding to a question from Judge Martin Nolan, Gda Lavery said his view is that Jenkinson is “more culpable” than the co-accused. He said the evidence from the CCTV showed Jenkinson sought out that property and brought the cannabis there, where the co-accused stored it.
Jenkinson works as an electrician and his family were in court to support him.
Gda Lavery agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that his client’s family are decent and were appalled when they found out about his offending.
It was further accepted that no drugs or drugs paraphernalia were found when Jenkinson’s home at Abbeyvale Green, Swords Manor, Swords, Dublin 8 was searched.
The garda also agreed that Jenkinson indicated that he had a drug debt, that this was a factor in his offending, and that he has not come to negative garda attention in the last two years.
Mr Bowman said his client is aware that a custodial sentence is inevitable and takes complete responsibility for his offending.
He noted that the probation report is positive and Jenkinson is assessed at low risk of reoffending.
Jenkinson developed addiction issues at a young age and has completed a drug rehabilitation programme since this offending came to light. Urine analysis is clean of all substances and he continues to engage with supports to maintain his sobriety, counsel said.
Mr Bowman submitted his client had a “notional” drug debt in the region of €10,000 and when Jenkinson sought to pay it, he was “told we have better ways of getting the full value from you”.
He said the court would be aware that a “number is picked and placed on an individual beyond their ability to pay” which “renders them of greater value” and puts them at risk.
Mr Bowman suggested to the court that “recent events” show “how pernicious it is”. He noted that it is “all too easy” for someone to say that they felt under pressure and while other options may have been open to his client, people “can’t run away” as it “can be visited on other family members with catastrophic consequences”.
He asked the court to consider that no drugs or other paraphernalia were found when his client’s home was searched and there has been no recent similar offending.
Testimonials and a letter from Jenkinson were handed to the court. He has an offer of work open to him upon his release from custody.
Judge Nolan said that “this defendant played his part” and was “holding or carrying drugs for some sort of reward or alleviation of debt”.
He said this defendant built up a drug debt and “by reason of that debt, certain pressure was put on him”. The judge said the court’s view was that Jenkinson was “coerced” into carrying these drugs, but it was “not legal coercion as he was the author of his own misfortune”.
Having considered the mitigation, Judge Nolan said the early guilty plea allowed the court to depart from the presumptive mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and handed down a sentence of three years.