Caught with phone and cannabis in prison

A Corkman, jailed for six and a half years for possession of €42,000 worth of cannabis resin, was subsequently found in possession of drugs and a mobile phone without permission while incarcerated at Loughan House.

In 2022, Mark Fitzgerald was jailed after a black gear bag with seven kilos of cannabis resin was found underneath a bed at a rented apartment.

He was later moved to serve out his sentence at the Blacklion open prison, where on May 15, 2025, prison authorities discovered the contraband items - €80 worth of cannabis resin and an non-approved mobile phone.

The defendant (54), who has an address at Glenwood Drive, Cork, was cautioned and admitted that the drugs were for “personal use”.

He had 31 previous convictions at the time, two of which were for the sale and supply of drugs where the value of the substances was €30,000 or more.

It was stated at Cavan District Court that, at the time, Fitzgerald was on enhanced prisoner status, being put on release one weekend out of every four. However, at the time, two of his nephews had died from overdoses and Fitzgerald, a dad of eight and grandfather to 10, used cannabis because his head was “not right”. “He was due to get community release but he lost all those privileges,” explained Roisin Courtney, solicitor representing.

Judge Ciaran Liddy imposed a one-month prison sentence in relation to the phone offence, taking into account the charge of cannabis possession.

A destruction order was also issued in respect of the drugs.