East Belfast: Two men in court over £300k cocaine find

The men are charged after a search of an east Belfast property on 1 June

Two Belfast men charged in connection with a seizure of cocaine worth more than £300k have been denied bail.

Jonathan Nicholson, 38, of Cuba Walk, was charged with allowing his home to be used in the production or supply of cocaine.

Whereas Nathan Davies, 33, of Nissan Walk was charged with possessing a Class A drug and having it with intent to supply.

The charges relate to searches carried out by police on 1 June.

Both men, who appeared separately via videolink before Belfast Magistrates' Court, confirmed they understood the charges against them.

A police officer from the PSNI's Paramilitary Crime Task Force, Det Con Campbell, said he believed they could be connected to the offences.

Mr Davies was seen carrying a distinctive bag into Mr Nicholson's apartment after opening it with a key, the court heard.

He left a few moments later and was arrested a short distance away driving a silver Vauxhall Cross.

£300k of cocaine found

As police carried out the search in Cuba Walk, Mr Nicholson appeared and demanded to know what officers were doing in his flat, Det Con Campbell told the court.

However, when Mr Nicholson was told the details of the search, he attempted to distance himself from the property, the officer added.

About 1kg of cocaine in a bag similar to that carried by Mr Davies was found by officers in a loft.

Although it was initially believed the drugs were worth about £100k, Det Con Campbell was later advised the amount was in excess of £300k after it was cut and mixed, he said.

A commercial hydraulic press, which took five officers to carry out of the property, was also found.

The court heard officers searched Mr Davies and found a key to the property, rubber gloves and a plastic spoon believed to be used to mix cocaine.

Bail refused

During police interviews, both men denied knowledge of the drugs. However, police were confident a footprint found on the table used to access the loft space matched Mr Davies' footwear. the court heard.

Police believe Mr Nicholson is "complicit in the production of this scale of drugs", the court heard.

Defence counsel for Mr Davies argued that his role was similar to that of a courier but police refuted this claim, saying that possession of a key and scale of the seizure indicated wider involvement.

The judge refused bail and remanded both men into custody. The case was adjourned to 30 June.