A woman caught with €560 of cannabis could still avoid going to jail.
Gardai swooped on the home of Maria George at Chestnut Grove, Letterkenny, on May 12, 2020 as a result of an investigation into the sale and supply of cannabis in the town.
The found two bags of cannabis, with a value of approximately €560. Weighing scales and €725 in cash were also located.
George, who is now 28 with no previous convictions, was conveyed to Letterkenny Garda Station, where she made full admissions.
“She previously came to the country a very lonely girl,” Mr Rory O’Brien, solicitor for George, said and added “She has a very difficult background; challenging perhaps more than difficult with obstacle after obstacle. Her and her mother made a new life here and tried to find a place in society.”
Mr O’Brien said his client’s life was ‘overshadowed’ by a diseased which sometimes restricts her mobility. The drugs, he said, were used primarily for health treatment and ‘nothing more’. The drugs were shared with friends, he added.
Mr O’Brien said a conviction would be ‘life changing’ for George. “She made a dreadful mistake,” he said, asking the court to consider a period of probation.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham placed George under the supervision of the Probation Services for a period of 12 months.
“She is to engage with the Probation Service and any recommendations,” Judge Cunningham said.
Should George fail to adhere, Judge Cunningham said she would impose a three-months suspended sentence.
The matter was adjourned to July 3, 2023.