Man to plead guilty to €1.6m cannabis possession in Cork

A 30‑year‑old man will enter a guilty plea to possession of cannabis worth €1.6 million after being caught with 80 kg at Little Island in July.

Defence solicitor Eddie Burke told Cork District Court on Tuesday that Xiaochen Han, of Griffith’s Close, Birmingham, will sign the plea. The case was adjourned by Judge David Waters, on the application of Sergeant John Dineen, to 29 October so the defendant can be present in court to sign the pleas. Sentencing will follow at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Han is charged with possession of cannabis, possession for the purpose of sale or supply, and possession of a controlled drug with a value exceeding €13,000 – the threshold for a 10‑year minimum sentence unless exceptional circumstances apply. He remains in continuing custody.

The offences relate to an incident on Monday 6 July at U Store It, Unit 24, Euro Business Park, Little Island, Co Cork. Detective Garda Derry O’Brien testified that bail was refused because gardaí consider Han a flight risk with no ties to the jurisdiction. The investigation involved the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Revenue and Customs, and included a controlled delivery of the cannabis shipment.

Gardaí said Han travelled from the UK to Belfast and then to Cork by train to avoid immigration checks, as he did not hold a visa and entered the Republic illegally.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Tom Fisk / Pexels.