Court told grow-house in Limerick village was discovered following fire
NEARLY €50,000 worth of drugs were seized on the outskirts of a Limerick village after a grow-house was discovered following a fire.
Yu Gang Liu, the owner of the property, has been given a six year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 19 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
That legislation makes it an offence for the owner/occupier of a property to allow it to be used for the “manufacture, production or preparation” of controlled drugs.
During a sentencing hearing, Detective Garda Chris Cowan said the grow-house was discovered in a shed at a premises at Ballycamp, Bruff after gardai spotted a fire from the main road at 5:20am on the morning of February 3, 2019.
After alerting Mr Liu, who lives in a dwelling house on the same property, emergency services were called and when the blaze was under control members of the fire service discovered what they believed to be cannabis plants.
The 59-year-old restaurateur maintained that he was not aware that illegal activity was taking place and claimed the shed was being rented by two Chinese nationals.
Gardai discovered the shed had insulation and vents as well as fertiliser, a thermometer, sockets and growing materials.
Investigators also found that the electricity supply to the shed was coming from the main dwelling house and that the ESB meter in the defendant's home had been bypassed.
Mr Liu said he was aware that his electricity was being used for the shed but he was renting it to two men for six months at a cost of €5,000.
Mr Liu, who has no English and spoke through his son, told gardai he only had the names of the men, one of whom he said he had previously worked with, but had no contact details.
The accused said he had not been in the shed since April or May of 2018 and did not think anything illegal was taking place.
Detective Garda Cowan told Lily Buckley BL, instructed by State Solicitor Aidan Judge, that 29 mature cannabis plants were found at the shed, with a street value of €23,200.
Following a further search of the property, glass jars containing cannabis herb worth €25,832, were seized .
Mr Liu was originally arrested and questioned under Section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act however he was rearrested when gardai matched his fingerprints to one of the glass jars.
The defendant said he and his wife kept jars for recycling and for storing pickled cabbage on their property.
Addressing the court, Senior Counsel Mark Nicholas said his client had no previous convictions and had no interactions with gardai before this incident.
Mr Nicholas stated that Mr Liu had worked in the restaurant trade for 20 years and had a long history of hard work.
Detective Garda Cowan, said they do not believe Mr Liu was the “head man”. He added that they do not believe that he wasn't aware of what was happening.
Judge Patrick Meghen said the defendant had allowed the sophisticated operation to take place in the building beside his house and that he must have had his suspicions.
He handed down a six year prison sentence, which he fully suspended, based on good behaviour, due to mitigating factors including health concerns.