Six years in jail for growhouse accused

One of two men, charged in connection with possessing over €150,000 worth of cannabis at a house in Cavan Town, has been jailed for six years.

Simonus Bruzas (40) of 22 The Park, Riverbank, Drogheda, pleaded guilty in July of last year to possessing cannabis for the purposes of sale or supply at an address at Honey Suckle Hill, Rocklands, on March 4, 2021. He also has an address at The Anchorage, Bettystown, Co Meath.

However, sentencing was adjourned to the Spring sittings of Cavan Circuit Court, earlier this month, to allow for the conclusion of a “similar matter” before Dundalk Circuit Court. That matter related to the discovery of a growhouse containing 122 cannabis plants and as much as 5kg of cut and processed cannabis, total value almost €200,000 at his Drogheda address.

The find occurred only after gardaí stopped a Renault Scenic driven by Bruzas on February 27, 2021.

The vehicle turned away from a manned checkpoint at around 2pm onto a side road approximately 250 metres away, only to re-emerge roughly 30 seconds later. The activity raised suspicion and a search of the vehicle uncovered “equipment to do with growing cannabis”, the court was told.

After the car was stopped, gardaí obtained a search warrant for the Drogheda address.

Bruzas, a Lithuanian national, had 11 previous convictions at the time and, in Dundalk, the judge imposed a six-year sentence with 18 months suspended.

A diary found in the car had an entry referencing the address at ‘Honey Suckle Hill, Rocklands’, which officers raided on foot of a warrant on March 4, 2021, after first making contact with the landlord.

He told them the house was rented to a “tall blonde” Lithuanian man with a moustache since about May 2020.

The description, Judge John Aylmer was told, matched that of Bruzas.

The defendant had keys for both properties in Drogheda and Cavan.

The three bedrooms upstairs in the Cavan house all had cannabis plants growing in them, while the bathroom was being used as the irrigation point.

In the Rocklands house gardaí found four bags of cannabis.

In the hot press they discovered three vacuum packed bags containing 2kg, another with over a half a kilo, and another with 300 grams.

A fourth bag, wrapped in plastic, weighed one kilo.

In total 90 cannabis plants were found inside the Rocklands property, valued at €72,000, and almost 4kg of cut and processed cannabis (€78,440), bringing the total value of the seizure to €150,440.

On the mantlepiece gardaí found a number of phone SIM cards, and Bruzas was later arrested and taken to Bailieborough Garda Station for questioning.

The first interview resulted in nothing of probative value, the court was told, and in the second, when asked about the key that opened the Cavan house, the defendant replied: “I can’t remember exactly where I got it.”

Bruzas was represented in court by Garnet Orange SC, instructed by Sara Brennan BL and solicitor Niall Fox.

Mr Orange previously stated his client got involved in growing and selling cannabis as a way to raise enough funds to set up a legitimate business for himself and “downloaded” the instructions from the internet.

In considering the sentence, Judge John Aylmer said the amount of drugs involved and their value was “very substantial”.

He acknowledged the sentence handed down in Dundalk, and the suspended element imposed due to Bruzas’ co-operation with the investigation and plea.

With the Cavan matter, however, the judge considered the defendant’s co-operation to be “less”.

Still, he sought to impose a similar sentence as in Dundalk, on condition that, upon release, Bruzas enters a bond to go under the supervision of the probation service for a period of 12 months, follow all directions in relation to addressing his offending behaviour, engage in victim focused work, and any other appropriate services.

A nolle prosequi was entered in respect of all remaining counts on the indictment regarding Bruzas.