‘Meth Lab’ contained ‘toxic and explosive material’

At Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena on May 25, the case was put back to June 22. Jaroslav Cabala (30), with an address listed as Ladysmith Terrace, is accused of being concerned in the production of methamphetamine; being concerned in the supply of the Class A drug; possession of ‘Speed’ and possession of cannabis in relation to Ladysmith Terrace on October 24 last year.

A prosecutor told a previous court: “There was toxic and explosive material”.

Last year, another court heard a property at Ladysmith Terrace was “stacked to the rafters” with equipment and chemicals for use in a ‘meth lab’.

A police officer had told Coleraine Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena in October, the chemicals were deemed so dangerous a specialist team had to be called in. A defence solicitor had told that court the defendant firmly denied being a manufacturer of drugs or being concerned in the supply of drugs and believed some of the substances had been left by somebody else “for cleaning purposes”. The solicitor said the defendant had been using some substances to “paint his bicycle”.

District Judge Liam McNally had asked at the time: “How many bikes did he have because the police constable says that the house was stacked full of these chemicals and laboratory equipment?” The judge added: “This is a serious case. When I read what was found, the scale of the chemicals and the lab equipment, it appears that there was very strong evidence of an attempt to produce a Class A drug”.