Co Tyrone lorry driver admits smuggling 34 kilos of cannabis detected by police at Larne Harbour

Standing in the dock of Antrim Crown Court, 46-year-old Alan Moore was re-arraigned and entered a guilty plea to the single charge against him.

Moore, from the Killeen Road in Victoria Bridge, admitted that on 29 March this year, he was in possession of Class B cannabis with intent to supply.

None of the facts surrounding the seizure were opened on Friday but when Moore was initially charged, Det. Const. Flanagan outlined that having set-up a check point at Larne Harbour, police had asked P&O staff to direct traffic to the left as it disembarked from the Cairnryan ferry.

The Scania lorry being driven by Moore, went to the right hand side and officers noted that the registration plates on the trailer and the cab did not match.

When Moore was spoken to, he claimed he had “personally” loaded the trailer himself and there was “no contraband or drugs within the trailer.”

Describing how the trailer was loaded with hay bales, DC Flanagan said towards the rear, there was an 18” gap between bales and using their torches, officers were able to see cardboard boxes. When those were opened, police uncovered six kilos of vacuum packed cannabis.

The trailer was moved to DAERA’s yard and after using a forklift to empty it, officers uncovered three further boxes and more vacuum packed cannabis with the total weight of the haul coming to 34 kilos. That haul, the court heard, is estimated to be worth up to £500,000.

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During questioning, Moore claimed he had collected the hay bales in Cambridgeshire and was on his way home when he stopped at a layaway and was propositioned by a man he named as “Geoff.”

He further claimed that Geoff had a friend Olly and he agreed to transport the boxes for £300 a box, giving Geoff his mobile phone number before they parted ways and he stashed them in between the hay bales.

Moore told police he believed they were filled with chai tea or vapes which were destined for onward transpiration to the Republic but couldn’t be couriered normally due to Brexit rules.

Following the guilty pleas on Friday, defence counsel Grant Powles asked for the plea and sentence to be adjourned to facilitate the completion of a pre-sentence report from the Probation Board.

That was granted by Judge Philip Gilpin who remanded Moore back in custody and scheduled the plea and sentence for 26 January.