Waterford yoga teacher receives suspended sentence for almost €7,000 worth of drugs
Waterford Courthouse.
A yoga teacher has received a 10-month suspended sentence after gardaí found him with almost €7,000 in drugs.
Ian McCarthy (34), Apt 8, The Sycamores, Waterford, was before Waterford District Court for driving without insurance, and two counts of possession of drugs and two counts of possession with the intention to sell or supply.
The court was told that on November 28, 2024, the drugs unit was on patrol at John's Hill when they observed a vehicle drive through a red light.
Gardaí stopped and seized the vehicle as it was not insured, and when they searched it, they found a large amount of cannabis herb in the glove compartment.
The value of the cannabis was €6,952.
A small amount of diazepam (€30) and THC product was found in a follow-up search of the man’s home.
The court was told that the defendant had no previous convictions.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said his client had worked abroad in construction until an accident brought him home and he developed a cannabis issue.
He said his client is a holistic yoga teacher and does not make a lot of money.
The reason he had the cannabis was that he had fallen into debt.
Mr Cunningham said that it was a routine traffic stop that led to the search and that no paraphernalia associated with drug dealing was found.
But his client was pleading guilty and was keen to keep the matter in the district court.
Judge John Cheatle said that the cannabis constituted “a lot of drugs” but that the solicitor had a point with regards to the lack of paraphernalia.
The judge said the cannabis was the major concern and that other drugs found did not amount to a sale and supply charge.
Judge Cheatle sentenced the man to 10 months in prison, but suspended that for a year on the cannabis charge.
He fined the defendant €200 for driving without insurance.
The additional drug charge was taken into consideration.
