Man (53) appears at court charged in connection with '£4 million' drugs seizure at Larne Harbour
A 53-year-old man has appeared at court charged in connection with a '£4 million' drugs seizure at Larne Harbour.
Andrew Topham, with an address on his charge sheet as no fixed abode in Derby, was before Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday (April 28).
He is charged with possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of cannabis. He has also been charged with having no driving licence for a lorry and using a lorry without insurance.
The charges relate to Monday April 27. A police officer believed he could connect the defendant to the charges.
A defence barrister said no bail application was being made. He said the defendant is "residing in Spain".
The defendant was remanded in custody and the case was adjourned to May 21.
A press release, on Monday, had said detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Organised Crime Branch, working in collaboration with the An Garda Síochána National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau as part of the Joint Agency Task Force, have today seized suspected drugs with an estimated street value of £4 million.
Following the stop and search of a lorry travelling from Scotland to Larne Harbour on Monday, April 27, detectives located and seized suspected cannabis concealed within a large number of boxes.
A 53-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of a class B controlled drug and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.
A police spokesperson said in the press release: “We believe the drugs in this consignment were intended to supply various organised crime groups across the island of Ireland.
"The Joint Agency Task Force was established with the aim of bringing a concerted and enhanced effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional organised crime.
"All partners within the Task Force are totally committed to working together to reduce the misery caused by drug smuggling and to dismantle the organised groups profiting from this type of criminality.”
The police spokesperson continued: "We are delighted these drugs have been removed from our streets and that this income stream has been denied to the criminal network.
"It isn't difficult to imagine the harm that would have been caused by this volume of drugs being dealt on street corners to vulnerable people, children and those with addiction issues.
“Some people may think that the illegal distribution of cannabis is not a big deal. I'd ask them to just take a moment to think about the violence and exploitation that the organised criminals behind this could have wreaked upon our communities with the millions of pounds of profit they potentially stood to make.
“With the collective efforts of partners, we'll work tirelessly to tackle such serious and organised criminality and bring those responsible to justice. We rely on the help of our community to do so and would appeal to anyone with information or concerns around illegal drug supply to contact us on 101.”
A report can also be made using the PSNI’s online reporting form, police added.