Two men said to have “played an integral part in the distribution of cannabis throughout Ireland” have had their original prison sentences more than doubled by the Court of Appeal, following an appeal by prosecutors. Mr Justice Birmingham said gardaí­ discovered 65kgs of cannabis worth €1.3 million, in 77 packets, and a sum of €21,000 cash was found close to the drugs. Mr Justice Birmingham said the headline sentence could “never have been” lower than the 10-year presumptive mandatory minimum sentence for possession of drugs worth more than €13,000. If full and generous credit was given for the all the mitigating factors, Mr Justice Birmingham said the final sentences could not have been less than seven years. Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, resentenced the men to six years imprisonment.

Source: The Irish Times January 16, 2020 19:07 UTC