‘Sophisticated cannabis growhouse’ found in Cork

A 36-year-old man has been jailed for four years for his role in what gardaí described as “a highly sophisticated cannabis growhouse operation” in a remote part of Co Cork.

Mariusz Fietko with an address at Rusheen, Macroom, Co Cork pleaded guilty to possessing €132,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply at Rusheen, Macroom on December 15th 2013.

Fietko also pleaded guilty to a second charge of cultivating cannabis at the growhouse in Rusheen when he appeared yesterday (Wed) at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

A co-accused, fellow Pole Gregorz Cabaj (24) with the same address also pleaded guilty to a single charge of cultivating cannabis at Rusheen on the same date.

Det Garda Tom O’Sullivan said when gardaí searched the isolated dormer bungalow some four miles from Macroom, they found a highly sophisticated growhouse.

They found four Polish men in the house including the two accused and when they searched a press in the kitchen, they discovered €8,000 worth of cannabis, weighing scales and €500 in cash.

They then searched a detached garage nearby and found “a very sophisticated growhouse” on the upper floor with 60 mature plants in one room and 115 plants in a separate drying room.

The plants were being grown hydroponically and the growhouse included lights, extractor fans and other equipment and the electricity had been tampered with to by-pass the meter.

Det Garda O’Sullivan said Cabaj had begun renting the house three months earlier for €950 a month and carried out all dealings with the landlord as he had good English.

Det Garda O’Sullivan said gardaí believed the four men found in the house were recruited by a Polish organised crime gang involved in growing cannabis in various locations in Co Cork.

Garda Anthony Finn told the court that Fietko admitted setting up the growhouse and was involved in planting the seeds, harvesting the plants and drying the weed.

When defence counsel Jim O'Mahony SC pointed out Fietko had only been in Ireland a few years, Judge O Donnabhain asked if there was a different attitude to cannabis growing in Poland.

Garda Finn said he didn’t believe there was as cannabis cultivation was also an offence in Poland and it carried more severe penalties there than it did in Ireland.

“What’s the penalty in Poland -20 years in the salt mines,? asked the judge before explaining he wanted to be sure there wasn’t a culturally different attitude to cannabis growing in Poland

Judge O Donnabhain noted Fietko gave gardaí a false name when he was first arrested and only gave his real name after a number of interviews.

He sentenced Fietko to six years in jail but suspended the final two years and backdated it to January 1st last while he remanded Cabaj on bail for sentence on Friday.