Former crisps exec enters guilty plea to growing cannabis

A former crisps company executive has pleaded guilty to growing 39 cannabis plants which he claimed was to make nutritional food supplements as part of a “foolhardy” horticultural experiment.

Anthony Keogh (64) of Newtown Lane, Oldtown, north Co Dublin, was arrested on July 9th last year.

Horticulture expert and farmer, Mr Keogh, a former director of Keogh’s Crisps, was initially charged with cultivation of cannabis, unlawful possession of the drug and having it for the purpose of sale or supply.

Gardaí originally estimated the value of cannabis plants to be €19,500, but that was revised downward to €7,800, Dublin District Court was told. The drug supply charge was withdrawn last month.

The Director of Public Prosecutions directed summary disposal on a guilty plea only, but on May 17th Judge Treasa Kelly held the case was too serious for the District Court and should go forward to the Circuit Court.

On Tuesday Mr Keogh appeared again at the District Court. His solicitor, Tony Collier, furnished the court with a signed plea of guilty on behalf of his client.

The judge then made an order sending Mr Keogh forward for sentencing at the Circuit Criminal Court on Friday.

Earlier, Garda Olan Keating agreed with Mr Collier that it was not the case that the plants were cultivated for the illegal drug trade.