A father of four who had cultivated cannabis plants to make his own cannabis cookies, butter and wine was today given a three year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to breaches of drug legislation.
David Flynn (45) pleaded guilty yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply and to cultivating cannabis plants at his home at The Thatch, Glantane, Mallow, Co Cork on January 23rd last.
Flynn had made biscuits, desserts, pizza, butter and cannabis wine from the cannabis plants that he had cultivated and he called his cookies Marakesh Biscuits and his wine, Creme de Gras while other products were called Cannon Butter and Alternative Pizza.
Det Sgt Michael Corbett told the court that Flynn, who used to run a pizza company before operating his own mobile chip van, would supply his cannabis creations to his friends on social occasions in exchange for drinks and no money ever changed hands.
Det Sgt Corbett said that gardai searched Flynn's rented house in Glantane on January 23rd last on foot of information received and that he was very co-operative from the outset and brought them to two upstairs rooms where he was growing the cannabis plants.
Both of the rooms had been adapted for growing cannabis plants and gardai found a total of 21 plants as well as 224 grammes of dried cannabis herb which had an estimated value of €2,695, said Det Sgt Corbett.
Det. Sgt. Corbett confirmed that gardai found no drug packaging or weighing equipment at the scene and gardai were satisfied that Flynn used the cannabis solely as an ingredient in his cookies and other products and that he never charged for them.
Judge Patrick Moran was told that Flynn is a father of four children aged between eight and 16 years who had briefly worked in the insurance industry before working for a catering firm and then operating his own chip van in north Cork.
Judge Moran said he accepted that Flynn was not operating as a drug dealer in the usual sense of the phrase. "I am satisfied that you were not in this business for the purpose of making money," he said.
However, Judge Moran said it was still a very serious matter and he imposed a three year prison sentence which he suspended on condition the defendant enter a bond to keep the peace for a period of three years.