Fined for cultivation of cannabis
A Dublin man and former chef, who developed an addiction to cocaine and pills after kicking a serious heroin habit, has been convicted and fined for cultivating cannabis at his Virginia home.
On June 30, 2017, gardaí raided Sean Jackson’s Headfort Grove address where they found what was described to Cavan Circuit Court as a “mini grow house” - a zip-up hydrophobic tent set up in the sitting room.
Prosecutor Frank Martin BL, instructed by State Solicitor Fiona Baxter, remarked that the plants “were very happy in their tent” judging by the photos provided.
“Apparently so,” replied Detective Garda Damian Carney.
Along with the plants growing, valued at €7,200, gardaí also found €982.64 worth of cocaine, and €127.66 of additional cannabis in its “perfected form”.
A TW-801 stun gun was also discovered, though in June 2025 Jackson pleaded only to the cultivation matter on a full facts basis.
In total four people were present at the property, but Jackson took responsibility for the drugs and the operation - a charge carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.
The court was informed that the defendant's co-operation was never in dispute.
Det Carney confirmed that Jackson made immediate admissions at the scene, explained how he grew the plants, and even acknowledged dividing the cocaine himself to prevent using it all at once.
Jackson, now 32, had seven previous convictions, most from his youth, and two as an adult for public intoxication and threatening behaviour.
At the time of the 2017 search, he had been working as a chef in a local hotel in Cavan, having moved there in an effort to escape a long-standing drug problem.
According to his barrister, Sara Brennan BL, Jackson “substituted” heroin for cocaine and tablets.
The cannabis plants were primarily for personal use, she said, though Jackson admitted to selling any excess to fund his cocaine addiction.
There were no “trappings of wealth”, Ms Brennan said. Det Carney agreed.
Following his arrest, Jackson left Ireland for the UK in 2020. There he accessed social housing, GP care for mental-health treatment, and support for addiction recovery.
He went “cold turkey” and, according to Ms Brennan, has managed to maintain his sobriety since.
He built a new life abroad, even starting a retrofitting company and enrolling in business school - until bail conditions forced him to return to Ireland, surrender his passport, reside at a Dublin address, and sign on at Coolock Garda Station three times a week.
A letter from the Peter McVerry Trust, signed by Peter McVerry himself, confirmed Jackson’s previous engagement with the service and expressed satisfaction that he was now “doing well” in the UK.
Despite a recommendation from the DPP for summary disposal, a district judge had refused jurisdiction to hear the case in the lower court. Had the case been dealt with summarily, the maximum penalty would have been a one-year sentence or a €5,000 fine.
Judge Aylmer regarded the offending - nine cannabis plants grown in a tent - at the lower end of the scale. Crucially, he observed that eight years had passed since the events, and in that time Jackson had done much to try and turn his life around.
His rehabilitation, the judge said, was “impressive”, and his guilty plea ensured he had dealt “appropriately” with the matter.
Very rarely, Judge Aylmer remarked, did the court encounter such sustained, “productive rehabilitation”. For that reason, he imposed a penalty that would encourage its continuation, fining Jackson €1,500, and allowing 12 months to pay.