Cannabis
Ireland: Farmer admits involvement in massive cannabis factory on his land and money-laundering | Cannabis Law Report
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A Co. Down farmer today admitted involvement in a massive cannabis factory uncovered on his land as well offences of laundering thousands of pounds.
Standing in the dock of Craigavon Crown Court, 56-year-old Clive Weir was re-arraigned on three of the four charges against him, all committed between 14 January 2022 and 2 February 2023.
Weir, from the New Road in Hillsborough, confessed to offences of cultivating cannabis, using criminal property and converting criminal property.
The charges outline that Weir used criminal property, “namely funds in the sum of £184,536.66 for the purchase of fuel from Victor Walker Fuels” and also that he converted criminal property by lodging £41,495 into a Bank of Ireland account and by lodging £132,571.50 into a Clear Bank bank account.
Following Weir’s admissions, prosecution counsel Ian Tannahill asked Judge Donna McColgan KC to mark as “left on the books” a second offence of converting criminal property and she so ordered.
Defence KC Michael Chambers revealed that according to Weir, who at one time before he was charged complained to the press about how long the police were taking to investigate the case, “his gain was about £42,000” while the prosecution contend his profit was around £100,000.
“He does not accept the figure of £100,000,” said the senior barrister who conceded the court may need to conduct a Newton hearing.
A Newtown hearing is held when a defendant accepts their guilt but not the full extent of criminality alleged by the PPS so each side has to call evidence and potentially witnesses for a judge to decide where the criminality lies.
Mr Chambers told Judge McColgan if there was to be a Newton hearing, he would be calling “not just the defendant but also his accountant and a number of other witnesses.
Mr Tannahill highlighted however that the ultimate figure of Weir’s criminal proceeds and laundering may not materially affect the sentence as “the headline offence is the cannabis cultivation.”
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Sean Hocking
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