£12K CANNABIS

The find, last Tuesday, was at a house on the Mullan Road and a senior officer described the find as "significant."

The raid signals the determination of the PSNI to come down hard on drug activity with one officer declaring that "robust action will be taken now and in the future."

Already, police have uncovered cannabis at a vacant school in Cushendall and last week a local man appeared at North Antrim Magistrates Court after police discovered he was growing cannabis in his home.

Inspector David Anderson revealed that the arrests were of a 38-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman.

He said the man has been charged with the alleged possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply and permitting his premises to be used in the cultivation of a drug. He is due to appear in court on August 25.

The female has been reported to the Public Prosecution Service, the Inspector said.

Cash, described as not being substantial, was also sezied during the raid along with a small amount of cannabis which, Inspector Anderson said, was ready for use as opposed to being in plant form.

The Inspector said it was a sizeable seizure by Ballymoney standards and reinforced the PSNI's standpoint that robust action will be taken against those

dealing or using illegal substances.

Inspector Anderson appealed to the public to come forward if they had any information about those whom they suspected of being involved in the drugs trade.

Recently, loyalists in the North Antrim area issued a warning that drugs pushers were prevalent in the area and warned that action would be taken against them.

'Loyalists Against Drugs', unconnected to any of the mainstream organisations, issued a statement warning of the consequences of drug dealing.

However, police stress that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands and that issues of criminality should be dealt with by the proper authorities.