A 29-year-old man from Chester has been jailed for four years and nine months in Dublin after cannabis with an estimated street value of €357,200 was found in his luggage at Dublin Airport, as first reported by the Irish Mirror.

Liam Roberts pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importing cannabis and to possessing it for sale or supply. The offences took place on 19 May 2026. He came before the circuit court from the District Court on signed pleas of guilty.

What the court heard

Prosecuting counsel John Quirke BL told the court that Roberts was stopped after arriving on a flight from Thailand, when a scan of his luggage showed an anomaly. Airport staff were helping him through the terminal because he had clearly been injured.

The court heard that Roberts helped customs officers during the search of his bag. He pulled aside his clothing and said: “There – that is what you are looking for.”

The cannabis weighed 17.86kg. It was packaged in individual parcels and covered in chilli paste, in an apparent attempt to disguise it.

Roberts was later arrested and made full admissions to gardaí. He said he was due to hand over the suitcase to someone outside the airport. He did not know who he was meeting, but that person had a photograph of him.

Defence and sentence

Defending, Marc Thompson SC said Roberts was at the lowest end of the organisation. He asked the court to take into account that his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Mr Thompson accepted that Roberts had previous convictions for drug dealing.

The court heard that Roberts had been on holiday in Thailand for a month when he had an accident, which left him with hospital bills of about £10,000. He also could not afford flights home. He was then approached and asked to transport drugs, and was told his hospital bills and flights would be paid in return.

Judge Martin Nolan said Roberts had carried the drugs “for some type of reward” and had been “persuaded” by others to become involved. He acknowledged that Roberts had pleaded guilty at a very early stage in the court process. The sentence of four years and nine months was backdated to Roberts’ arrest in May 2026.

Why it matters to UK readers

The case involves a British national and shows how drug importation offences are dealt with in Ireland, where the courts can impose lengthy custodial sentences. In the UK, cannabis is a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.