Trio took ‘shoulder-shrugging’ court attitude to €18,000 drug charges after Longford bust

A Circuit Court judge has expressed his utter distaste at the “shoulder- shrugging” attitude of three young men who were caught red handed with just under €18,000 worth of cannabis in the boot of their car.

Daniel Kuponiyi (21), with an address in Shannon Park, Edgeworthstown, Toluwalope Onayemi (21), from Gleann Riada, Longford, and Ruben Olusanya (20), of Oakland Green, Longford spent two weeks in custody in July while Judge Kenneth Connolly considered their sentence.

They reappeared before him on the last day of the Longford Circuit Court sittings, where they were each given community service orders in lieu of prison sentences, due to their young age and the fact they are actively pursuing college education and/or employment.

All three were charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale or supply after they were discovered with significant quantities of the drug by Gardaí on November 6, 2023, at Ballinalee Road, Longford. Mr Kuponiyi and Mr Onayemi were also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

At the initial sentence hearing, Garda Louise Fleming gave evidence of intercepting the car on the Ballinalee road on November 6, 2023. She said the car had no lights and it was dark, which drew attention to the vehicle.

There was “an immediate strong smell of cannabis” coming from the car when the window was opened and the men and car were searched, with a box containing suspected cannabis being discovered in the boot.

The court heard that Mr Kuponiyi had amassed a debt of €500 and agreed to transport the drugs to pay off that debt.

The three young men took a taxi to the outskirts of Longford town, where they met a vehicle and took the box.

They then contacted one of the men’s fathers to give them a lift back into town. The father did not know what was in the box, the court heard, and he was not charged with any offence.

Mr Onayemi was found to have a large number of deal bags on his person when searched by Gardaí. Mr Kuponiyi also had a smaller number of “baggies”, which he said he used to sell earrings.

The cannabis in the boot was contained in a box with two sealed bags, and covered in nail polish remover in an attempt to mask the smell.

It was Mr Kuponiyi who brought the box into the car, but all three men accepted responsibility when questioned by Gardaí.

The total value of the cannabis discovered was €17,926, and Judge Connolly expressed concern at the presence of “baggies” in relation to two of the accused, “which suggests the drugs were to be distributed”.

Kieran Collins BL told the court that Mr Olusanya had worked in Spain for a month as a nightclub promoter and was hoping to return there after court proceedings.

Niall Flynn BL, for Mr Onayemi, said his client had also been working at the same Spanish nightclub, to earn money to pay his college fees, as he hoped to return to an International Business course in Athlone in September.

Neither of those two accused attended their second probation meetings, the court heard and, while testimonials were furnished to the court from the owner of that nightclub, Gda Fleming was unable to make contact with the author to prove the recommendations.

Raymond Groarke, on behalf of Mr Kuponiyi, said his client works in Dublin, does not receive social welfare, and has completed the first year of a Computer Engineering degree in Blanchardstown.

He hopes to continue with his second year in September, Mr Groark said.

He did attend his probation appointments and was assessed at low risk of reoffending, and suitable for community service.

At the initial sentence hearing, Judge Connolly expressed concern at the quantity of drugs, the intent to supply, and the fact that two of the accused had not attended their probation appointments.

Without those probation reports, he was unable to finalise sentences and so he remanded all three in custody for two weeks and ordered those two to cooperate with probation services in the intervening period.

When the case reappeared before him last week, he expressed his distaste at the attitude of the three accused towards what he said were very serious offences.

“What struck me about the matter was it seemed there was a blasé attitude taken by them.

They seemed to think this was a shoulder-shrugging matter of very little consequence,” he said.

He noted that when one of the males was asked about the cannabis, his reply was “I wish I got to smoke it”. It was also
said that they got the drugs for free and would “share it with whoever wanted it”.

“This was very indicative of the attitude taken by all three and was one of the reasons they were remanded in custody,” said Judge Connolly.

He noted none of the three had previous convictions, but all three had come to subsequent adverse Garda notice for drugs offences, which “is troubling to the court”.

However, considering the age of the three men, the fact that they each have structured plans to continue with employment or education, he said he would be “as generous as I can” with sentencing.

He noted all three admitted their involvement immediately and came forward on signed guilty pleas. They also come from good families, he said.

“I’m sure their families are ashamed and I hope they apologise for that shame they’ve brought on their families,” he said.

“Given the attitude in court on the last occasion, I’m sorely tempted to employ an immediate custodial sentence, but I won’t.”

He proceeded to impose a 12 month prison sentence on Mr Olusanya, which he commuted to 150 hours of community service, to be completed within one year.

For Mr Kuponiyi and Mr Onayemi, he imposed a slightly higher sentence of 18 months because they were charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, but he commuted those sentences to 240 hours of community service, to be completed within one year.

“Regrettably, they now have criminal records. They’d want to get a grip or they’ll spend their lives in prison. I truly hope I do not see any of these three young men back in court again,” he said, before concluding matters with a destruction order for the cannabis."

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