A defendant’s photo ID was recovered from a backpack containing cannabis, which he had thrown over a wall into a back garden as he tried to escape gardaí, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.

Dylan Conway (22) with an address at Barrack Close, Dundalk pleaded guilty to having the drug for sale or supply at Cooley Park, Dundalk on May 30th 2017.

The court was told last Tuesday that Gardaí were on mobile patrol on the Inner Relief Road when they saw two men holding bicycles - including the defendant who was carrying a bag. The pair began to climb a nearby wall on seeing the guards and when the patrol car pulled up alongside them they fled over the wall. The accused succeeded in getting away, but the backpack which he had thrown over a back wall in to a rear garden was retrieved. It contained small bags of cannabis herb, gloves electronic weighing scales a grinder and a brown wallet – in which Dylan Conway’s photo ID was found.

Although no estimated value for the drugs was available, Judge Gerard Griffin was told it ran to four figures – but was at the lower end of the scale.

After his arrest the accused initially replied ‘no comment’ when the contents of the backpack were put to him, but he later claimed he was a heavy smoker and the drugs were for his own use. He also said he ran because he’d seen the gardaí.

He told gardaí he had a drug habit for as long as he could remember and had been buying Xanax and weed most days to feed it.

The investigating officer told the court the accused would not be known to the gardaí for the sale and supply of drugs. Noting the accused had no previous convictions Judge Griffin put back the case to the 14th of January saying “it’s crying out for a Probation report”.

In adjourning the case for the preparation of that report Judge Griffin indicated that ‘at the very maximum’ he had a 12 month suspended sentence in mind.