A Lifford man found with a joint could face prison.
Keelan Kelly, who already has two previous convictions for the possession of drugs, was due before Letterkenny District Court.
However, the 24-year-old, with an address at Beechwood Grove, Lifford, did not show up for his court date.
Detective Garda John O’Sullivan outlined to the court how he was on the forecourt of a filling station in Lifford on September 3, 2023.
Detective Garda O’Sullivan told the court that he passed a vehicle and detected a strong smell of cannabis.
He showed the two occupants his badge and introduced himself as a detective garda. He informed the two people that he was going to search the vehicle under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
In the passenger footwell of the vehicle, Detective Garda O’Sullivan located a rolled cigarette.
Kelly admitted that the item was his and told the detective that it was ‘weed’. He admitted that it was illegal and said it was for his own personal use.
The joint was sent to a laboratory in Dublin and certificate analysis confirmed that the substance was cannabis.
In the absence of Kelly, Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said she found the facts proven.
The court heard that Kelly has two previous convictions for possession of drugs.
Judge Cunningham noted that a third conviction for possession of drugs carries with it the possibility of a custodial sentence.
“I am not impressed by the fact that he has not attended court,” Judge Cunningham said, adding that she required the accused to be present in order to be sentenced.
A bench warrant for sentencing was issued for Kelly.