Jailed for assisting an orgnaised crime gang in Louth

A 38 year old man who admitted assisting a Lithuanian organised crime gang involved in cannabis growhouse operations in Louth and Meath, was jailed for four years at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Marius Brazauskas with an address at the time at Charleville, Dunleer, pleaded guilty to facilitating the criminal organisation by having drugs for sale or supply on a date unknown between January 1st and June 4th 2021 and cultivating cannabis plants.

The court heard last Wednesday that 55 mature cannabis plants were recovered when gardaí raided a sophisticated cultivation system at Bryanstown Court, Drogheda address on June 4th 2021.

A further three kilos of cannabis was found in shopping bags found in the bathroom.

In a storage container at a separate address in the Duleek area, five kilos of cannabis were found - again in shopping bags.

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The man, in his 20s, is due before Dundalk District Court this morning

Between the two locations almost €210,000 worth of drugs was seized.

The court heard the gang behind the drugs operates in Louth and Meath cultivating cannabis and the defendant, who had recently arrived in Ireland, had rented the storage unit for them under a false name, but wouldn't say who had asked him to.

He told gardaí he had a sister with a disability and had come to Ireland to save money.

The investigating Garda confirmed to the Defence barrister that his client had not come to garda attention prior to this and had no trappings of wealth.

Judge Dara Hayes who said the defendant's culpability was at the lower end of the scale and he accepts he was not a controlling factor in the drugs operation imposed concurrent sentences five and a half years with the final 18 months suspended, backdated to October 29th last to allow for time spent in custody.