A married couple were caught growing cannabis plants in the home where they lived with their eight-month-old baby, a Dublin court has heard.
Kaua Da Lima (27) made a “terrible decision” to start dealing drugs as a way to provide money for his family during the Covid-19 pandemic, defence counsel told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday.
Da Lima, of Bushfield Square, Fairview, Dublin 3, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis for sale or supply at his home on November 14th, 2020. His wife, Natila Vargas (34) of the same address, pleaded guilty to possessing the drugs.
The court heard Da Lima is a delivery cyclist who was struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Vargas is a healthcare worker who also cares for their child, now aged two.
They have no previous convictions and have not come to the attention of gardaí since this matter.
Sergeant Aisling Hobbs told Jane Horgan Jones BL, prosecuting, that gardaí were alerted to drug dealing activities at the rented house in November 2020 and executed a search warrant after witnessing some suspected drug deals outside the home.
In an upstairs bedroom, gardaí found six cannabis plants being grown in a wardrobe, with heat lamps and a fan. Nearly half a kilo of cannabis herb was also produced during the search.
The plants and drugs had a combined value of just under €14,000, the court heard.
Baby at home
The couple had an eight-month-old baby at the time, and gardaí arrested and interviewed Da Lima before allowing him to go home and mind the baby before they arrested Vargas. The couple entered guilty pleas in court last month.
Sentencing the pair, Judge Martin Nolan said Da Lima had taken most of the responsibility for the drugs. He noted a drug dealing charge is serious, but he took into account a number of mitigating factors including Da Lima's lack of criminal record and the unlikelihood of him re-offending.
The judge handed down a three-year sentence and suspended it on a number of conditions.
In relation to Vargas, the court heard the maximum sentence for drugs possession is a €2,500 fine. Judge Nolan issued a fine of €200, to be paid within three months.
John Berry BL, defending Da Lima, said his client was originally from Brazil and had trouble getting work during the pandemic. He said he made “a terrible decision to sell drugs for money to provide for his family”.
The court heard Vargas had a much lesser role in the operation, but was aware of the drugs and that they were being sold.
Vanessa Frawley BL, defending Vargas, said she is a healthcare worker who also cares for their child. The court heard she is likely to lose her job, which she loves, as a result of the drugs conviction.
