Chef caught with over €500,000 in cannabis

Claire Henry

A chef who was caught with over half a million euros in cannabis has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Lin Yan (40) of Kennelsforth Road Lower, Palmerstown, Dublin 20, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply on March 7th, 2025. He has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Joe Murphy told Pieter Le Vert BL, prosecuting, that gardaí received information from customs and excise that a drugs detection dog had made a positive reaction to a pallet that had come into the country. The pallet was x-rayed, and the gardaí planned a controlled, undercover delivery of the pallet.

The court heard that the pallet was delivered to an address in the Palmerstown area, but there was no one there to receive the pallet. A phone number attached to the delivery paperwork was called, and Yan answered the call, telling the gardaí that he would be there in 15 minutes.

Det Gda Murphy told the court that Yan arrived, signed for the delivery, and that all but one of the undercover gardaí left the area. The one remaining garda kept both Yan and the pallet under “unimpeded” surveillance.

The pallet contained Chinese takeaway supplies and suspected cannabis. Yan began to unpack the pallet and began pacing up and down when he came across the boxes of suspected cannabis herb.

Gardaí then approached Yan and arrested him. He was detained and interviewed, and the drugs were sent for analysis. Cannabis, with a total value of €571k, was found.

Yan has been in custody since his arrest and is originally from China. He was employed as a chef in Ireland and has very little English.

Det Gda Murphy agreed with Marc Thompson SC, defending, that his client was co-operative with gardaí and that he was on the lowest rung on the drug ladder.

The garda agreed that Yan was supplied with employment and accommodation and was under pressure at the time.

Mr Thompson told the court his client has been in Ireland for 10 years, has no previous convictions, and has no addiction issues.

He said there was a very positive governor's report before the court. He said that upon Yan’s release from custody, he wishes to remain in Ireland.

Counsel asked the court to take into account that his client was a man who was taken advantage of and accepts that he was caught red-handed, and asked that the mandatory minimum of 10 years not be imposed.

Sentencing the defendant on Friday, Judge Orla Crowe said she has been asked not to impose the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, which can only be done in exceptional circumstances.

She said it was the court's view that these exceptional circumstances were present in the form of the signed guilty pleas, the fact that Yan was on the lowest rung on the drug dealing ladder, that he had been taken advantage of, and had no addiction issues.

Judge Crowe said the amount of drugs seized was an aggravating factor. She set a headline sentence for six years.

After considering all mitigating factors, she sentenced Yan to three years in prison, which she backdated to when he went into custody on this matter.