Nenagh man who turned his home into a cannabis growhouse is jailed for 18 months

A man who was caught with over €121,000 worth of cannabis has been given two three-year concurrent jail sentences by Judge Cormac Quinn at Nenagh Circuit Court.

However, Judge Quinn suspended the final 18 months of each sentence.

Anthony Ryan, 63, of Newtown, Ballinree, Nenagh, pleaded to possession of cannabis valued at more than €13,000 and cultivation of cannabis at his home on February 11, 2022.

Garda Andrew Loughlin told the court that following a search, 5,014gs of cannabis herb valued at €108,280 was located in various parts of the house and 17 cannabis plants valued at €13,600 were discovered in the attic.

Mr Ryan was interviewed on three occasions and made admissions from the start, he said.

“He was growing it for his own use and for sale,” said Garda Loughlin. “I don’t think anyone was involved in the operation.”

The cannabis herb had been found in buckets, a wardrobe, a drawer in a dresser and in the hotpress.

Garda Loughlin told Mark Nicholas, SC, for Mr Ryan, that in the first interview at Nenagh Garda Station, Mr Ryan admitted he had tried growing cannabis previously but had failed.

However, Mr Ryan had done further research and bought equipment which had resulted in a successful harvest.

“He was quite surprised at the amount of material,” he said.

Garda Loughlin told Mr Nicholas that Mr Ryan had admitted to being a heavy user of cannabis in the past and had difficulty with alcohol.

Mr Ryan had tried to deal with his alcohol and became a cannabis user, he said.

Garda Loughlin said that Mr Ryan had worked previously, but his aerial photography had closed and he had got into financial difficulty with his mortgage.

His brother helped him out and Mr Ryan had felt “morally obliged” to pay back the loan to his brother.

His house, which was a wooden construction, had also suffered damage to the gable end and this needed to be repaired.

Garda Loughlin said that Mr Ryan had grown cannabis with the intention of selling it to his peer group and friends, as well as using it himself.

Mr Ryan’s phone and a laptop had been seized during the search but there was no indication that he was dealing in drugs, though the laptop showed he was still researching how to cultivate cannabis, said Garda Loughlin.

All the cannabis had been found in the house, even though there was an outside shed, which he believed Mr Ryan was sleeping in.

“There was no link to organised crime, no trappings of wealth and no luxurious lifestyle,” he said.

Garda Loughlin told Judge Quinn that Mr Ryan had intended to sell but hadn’t sold any of the first batch he had grown as it hadn’t gone well.

Mr Nicholas told the court that he believed Mr Ryan had got involved as he was a heavy user and that he had an “addictive personality”.

After his business failed and his mortgage got into difficulty, he said Mr Ryan had to “lean on members of his family to help him out”.

“They did help out. He has support around him,” said Mr Nicholas.

He said Mr Ryan would say that some of the cannabis found was “not smokeable”.

CCTV at Mr Ryan’s house showed there was no traffic to and from his home and nothing had been found on his phone or laptop, he said.

“There was no attempt to bypass the electricity supply,” he pointed out.

Mr Nicholas, using a business comparison, described Mr Ryan as making home brew and not a big drinks conglomerate.

Mr Nicholas said his client had gone straight into rehab and was still engaging in their after service.

“He intended to sell to deal with issues, not to become a millionaire,” said Mr Nicholas.

Passing sentence, Judge Quinn said that “essentially the accused’s home was being used as a growhouse”.

He said that the aggravating factors were the amount of cannabis involved, the harm done to society and that the operation had been planned and thought out.

However, mitigating factors were Mr Ryan’s age, his early plea and no previous convictions, and that he was still engaging with after care services.

“He has distanced himself from alcohol and drugs,” said Judge Quinn.

He sentenced Mr Ryan to three years in prison for being in possession of cannabis and a further three years, concurrent, for cultivating cannabis.

However, he suspended the final 18 months of each sentence in Mr Ryan’s own bond of €200.