Man appears in court over £300k drugs seizure

The court was told police found the drugs after they forced their way into a property

A man has been remanded in custody in connection with the seizure of cocaine and cannabis with an estimated street value of more than £300,000 in Londonderry.

The man was granted anonymity when he appeared before Londonderry Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

He is charged with having cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, possessing the drugs and being concerned in the supply of cocaine on 11 October.

Deputy District Judge Peter Prenter said it was "a very significant haul of drugs", adding he believed there was a risk of re-offending.

The court was that police found over £300,000 worth of drugs after officers forced their way into a property in the city.

A police officer told the court that cocaine, valued at around £260,000, was found in a locked metal safe that was later forced open at the police station.

The man was already on bail for other offences, the court heard, and was arrested for breaching conditions after being absent from his address.

When interviewed by police, the man, who has 42 previous convictions, admitted to removing his tag and destroying his phone so police could not track him.

No previous drug convictions

A defence barrister said that the man gave a full account to police in his interview, adding that he had no previous drug convictions on his record.

He argued the drugs were found at an address that the defendant had previously vacated previously.

Bail was denied and the man remanded in custody to appear again on 7 November.