A retired farmer, who hails from the family of one of Ireland’s biggest crisp companies, has been charged for cultivating cannabis plants with a value close to €20,000.
64-year-old Tony Keogh was arrested by Gardaí last Thursday as part of a search operation at a location in North Dublin.
Tony, uncle to Tom Keogh, founder of Keogh’s Crisps Limited, appeared before Dublin District Court over the seizure.
Apology
The company released a statement on Saturday, July 11th to provide clarification and apologise to its customer base.
“Unbeknownst to the Keogh business, Tony, who officially retired from the family business in 2019, has been researching medical cannabis production around the world following the move by the Irish government to legalise medical cannabis last year.”
“Tony did not reveal his intentions to anybody, nor did he seek legal advice at any stage.”
“Tony has been cultivating the plants in a small area of an unused glasshouse within full view of the public road and as such, a member of the public reported the activities to An Garda Síochána.”
“When questioned by Gardaí, Tony immediately admitted full responsibility and was charged on Friday, July 10th.”
“As a family branded business, we acknowledge we must take responsibility for the actions of our family members regardless of them being actively involved in our business or not.”
As a business, the statement added, 115 people, are employed by the firm, which is “committed to producing the finest fresh potatoes and crisps for customers across Ireland and around the world”.
“We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to our loyal customers who have supposed our family business over the years.” the statement concluded.
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