
A LIMERICK mother-of-eight, who has been sentenced to two years in prison for selling cannabis, told Gardaรญ that the Covid pandemic had been โbad for businessโ.
Rose Porter, (57), of St Patrickโs Villas, Castleconnell pleaded guilty possession of cannabis for sale or supply and an additional charge of money-laundering.
When Gardai searched her home and asked her โwas she a drug dealerโ, she replied, โno, Iโm a weed dealerโ, Limerick Circuit Court heard.
Ms Porterโs barrister said she had lost her son in a drowning incident a number of years ago and told Gardaรญ she was dealing cannabis to keep others โoff tabletsโ following the tragedy.
โIt was an unusual motivation,โ the barrister said.
โShe started smoking cannabis as a way of coping with the loss of her son, it was a significant tragedy.โ
โThe problem with that is cannabis clouds a personโs judgement, and she accepts it is a serious matter, she is greatly embarrassed. This has jolted her,โ added the barrister.
Gardaรญ raided Ms Porterโs house on April 27, 2020 and found โฌ7,810 worth of cannabis and โฌ4,285 cash.
The mother-of-eight, who has recently found work as a cleaner, immediately admitted ownership of the drugs and cash.
She told Gardaรญ she was earning around โฌ400 a week selling cannabis, she had been selling the drug for four years, and was receiving it from unidentified parties every three to four weeks.
At the time she was in receipt of social welfare payments and a once-a-year carerโs allowance.
Ms Porter claimed that a wad of โฌ2,000 notes found in her wallet during the search of her home, was a โmixture of dole money and money for loansโ.
However Gardaรญ told the court they believed the cash was โthe proceeds of selling drugsโ.
Gardaรญ found cannabis in vacuum packed bags in a tumble drier in the kitchen of the defendantโs home and she told them that Covid-19 had been โbad for businessโ.
Prior to Gardaรญ arriving at Porterโs house she had acquired โฌ1,000 worth of cannabis.
She told Gardaรญ she was selling one gram of cannabis for โฌ15 and an ounce for โฌ200.
Her barrister asked the court not to jail her, saying she had no previous convictions for drugs, and she had not come to the attention of Gardaรญ since her arrest in April 2020.
Judge Tom OโDonnell said he was alarmed at Ms Porterโs reasoning for selling cannabis, that she was โonly doing it so the young lads wouldn’t do tabletsโ and there were drugs lying around the family home.
โShe seems very au fait at the market value and sale price for drugs. It was an extraordinary admission to make that Covid-19 was bad for business,โ the judge said.
โIt’s clear she was a drug dealer, and a drug dealer of some significance for some years. It was astonishing to say the least to openly admit it.
โI accept she took full responsibility and admitted knowledge of the drugs market. However this lady had a very substantial amount of cash, which she readily admitted she got from her ill-gotten gains, some of which she was reinvesting in drugs.โ
Asking the court not to impose a prison sentence, Ms Porter’s barrister reiterated she was a carer for her unwell partner, and that she had been naive in getting involved in the illegal drugs trade.
Jailing her for two years with the final 12 months suspended, Judge O’Donnell said: โShe is a carer who was involved in the sale and supply of drugs. I don’t accept she was naive. Am I to accept she was naive in selling drugs for four years? ย Thatโs not naive.โ