A Lithuanian national who was caught in a growhouse in rural Roscommon with over €750,000 of cannabis has been ordered to leave Ireland after completing five and a half years in jail.
Evaldas Juknevicus (42) of 12, Millbrook, Portlaoise, County Laois, was a “promising” motorcyclist who was “recruited” into a “highly sophisticated” cannabis grow house operation after he came under financial pressure following an ankle injury which ruled him out of motorcycling.
Juknevicus, a father-of-one with no previous convictions, engaged in competitive motorbike racing with the Lithuania Motor Racing Association before he became involved with a cannabis growhouse in Cloonmullen, Loughlynn, County Roscommon.
He and two other men were arrested at the growhouse on April 9, 2024.
There, gardaí discovered 170 plants, all but five of which had been harvested and placed in bags. Every room in the house was being used for growing cannabis, including the attic, which was fitted with a hydroponics system for watering the plants.
When gardaí arrived at the property, Juknevicus and Paulaskas were hiding under insulation in the attic while Abdrachimovas was hiding in the ground floor of the property.
In total, 36.33kg of cannabis were seized from the property, with a total value of €725,940.
At the time of his arrest Juknevicus was staying in an Airbnb and gave gardaí a false name. He also refused to provide them with PIN codes to his phones.
He then fled the house on foot but was apprehended by gardaí. He was then arrested and taken into custody, where he has been since April 11, 2024.
In later interviews with gardaí, he made full admissions to his role in the operation.
Mr John Paul Shortt, SC, instructed by solicitor Michael Kelleher (defending), told Juknevicus’ sentencing hearing that his client was a qualified mechanic living a “normal life” while participating in motorcycle racing.
As part of this, Juknevicus received financial support in the form of sponsorship from a number of individuals.
When he was unable to race due to injuries he sustained on July 27, 2022, Juknevicus came under pressure to repay these sponsors.
The court was presented with a letter from the Lithuania Motor Racing Association, as well as a letter of apology from Juknevicus.
In this letter, he apologised profusely for his role in dealing drugs and said he had never been in trouble with the law in his entire life.
He also said that he never intended to go to Ireland but felt he had to do so to provide for his family.
The court also heard a letter from his fiancée, who said the family came under pressure from “brutal individuals” following his motorcycle accident.
She wrote that she is finding employment “extremely difficult” due to his absence and the demands of caring for their four-year-old son.
She said that her husband was “profoundly remorseful” for his actions and asked that the court show compassion and leniency towards him.
Mr Shortt told the court that his client was “recruited” to come to Ireland to work in the growhouse and that he intended to leave the country.
“This is a man that, the court can take some assurance, when he has repaid his death to society, will not be a recidivist. He will go back to Lithuania,” said Mr Shortt.
The court also received a “positive” report from the Governor of Castlerea Prison, which said that Juknevicus is an enhanced prisoner who is working in the prison laundry every day.
Judge Kenneth Connolly said that Juknevicus had been caught “red-handed” with “a colossal quantity” of drugs, to which he pleaded guilty before Roscommon Circuit Court on June 18, 2025.
Noting a report from an independent expert which estimated that the quantity of cannabis was, in fact, valued at €319,030, Judge Connolly acknowledged that the value of drugs can vary depending on the type, availability, quantity, and relationship between the buyer and seller, but said it would not be appropriate for the court to consider this.
Judge Connolly said that Juknevicus had given “no cooperation or assistance to gardaí investigating, gave no useful information, no plausible explanation for his involvement” and had attempted to evade arrest. He also refused to say who he was associated with or provide access codes for phones – which Mr Scott has said was due to “fear”.
“It is clear that this was a pre-planned operation,” Judge Connolly said, “as he had pre-arranged accommodation through Airbnb, seemingly prior to commencing work in the grow house.”
Judge Connolly also found it hard to accept his explanation about being pressured into working at the growhouse, saying that he had provided a “bland” statement about his family being under duress.
“I have to say, it’s a very difficult explanation for the court to believe. Perhaps it may be true. If it were true I would have expected that there would have been some mention of these difficulties to gardaí during the course of the investigation,” Judge Connolly remarked.
He noted that convictions under section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 carried a minimum of ten years unless there were “exceptional and specific circumstances”.
Factoring in his lack of previous convictions, his geographical separation from his family, and his early guilty plea, Judge Connolly imposed a seven-year sentence, with the final eighteen months suspended. The sentence was backdated April 11, 2024.
Juknevicus, who heard the judge’s verdict through a Lithuanian interpreter, was ordered to leave Ireland after leaving custody and not to return to the jurisdiction for 15 years.
Catherine McCormack, BL, told the court that Juknevicus would leave the jurisdiction after his prison sentence had concluded.
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