Father agreed to hold 10kg of cannabis after threat his son would be "killed by Christmas"

A 54-year-old man from Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing almost 10 kilograms of cannabis worth approximately €199,000. Ronald Flynn pleaded guilty to the offence, which occurred on November 19, 2015, at Citywest Business Park in Dublin. The court heard that Flynn agreed to collect the drugs after being threatened that his son would be killed. His son was serving a five-year sentence for drugs offences and had accumulated a substantial drug debt, which was transferred to Flynn. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged that Flynn felt coerced but noted he was a mature man who knowingly engaged in serious criminal activity. Flynn, who has 19 previous convictions mainly for road traffic matters, was arrested following a controlled delivery operation conducted by gardaí and customs. The judge granted a stay on the sentence until February 26.