5.11.04
Irelandclick.com
Court hears drugs find is linked to loyalists
A court heard this week that police had uncovered a major loyalist drugs operation in North Belfast and ecstasy tablets worth a street value of £80,000.
The comments were made by a crown prosecution barrister as two men appeared at Belfast magistrates court charged with possessing ecstasy with intent to supply the drug.
The accused are Mark McMahon (26) of Whitewell Road, and John David Robert Smith (19) of Ballysillan Avenue. Both deny the charges.
The crown lawyer said the two accused were found in an outhouse adjacent to a property on the Flush Road with 6,000 euro and bags of ecstasy tablets that appeared ready for distribution. Viagra-type tablets were also found.
The court heard that 10,000 ecstasy pills were found in grounds to the rear of the property along with another 3,000 euro.
The court also heard that when the police arrived at the scene a hooded figure ran from an outbuilding and across neighbouring gardens and escaped.
Crown counsel said police believed they had found a major distribution centre organised by loyalist paramilitaries for the supply of class A drugs in North Belfast.
She said it was a highly sophisticated and developed system with purpose-built hides in fields not on the property but convenient to an address on Flush Road.
Nothing had been found in a follow-up search of Smith’s house, but that a search of McMahon’s home uncovered 3,740 euro and a substantial quantity of figures which police say related to drug-dealing figures because of their references to halves and quarters alongside names, the court heard.
A lawyer for Smith told the court that his client protested his innocence and would maintain that the sheds in question were pigeon sheds which his client had been cleaning when the PSNI raid occurred. He said there was no forensic evidence against his client.
The court heard that McMahon had told police he had gone to the property at Flush Road to leave off a car to be prepared for MOT.
The pair were refused bail and remained in custody until November 29.
info@irelandclick.com
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
Court hears drugs find is linked to loyalists
A court heard this week that police had uncovered a major loyalist drugs operation in North Belfast and ecstasy tablets worth a street value of £80,000.
The comments were made by a crown prosecution barrister as two men appeared at Belfast magistrates court charged with possessing ecstasy with intent to supply the drug.
The accused are Mark McMahon (26) of Whitewell Road, and John David Robert Smith (19) of Ballysillan Avenue. Both deny the charges.
The crown lawyer said the two accused were found in an outhouse adjacent to a property on the Flush Road with 6,000 euro and bags of ecstasy tablets that appeared ready for distribution. Viagra-type tablets were also found.
The court heard that 10,000 ecstasy pills were found in grounds to the rear of the property along with another 3,000 euro.
The court also heard that when the police arrived at the scene a hooded figure ran from an outbuilding and across neighbouring gardens and escaped.
Crown counsel said police believed they had found a major distribution centre organised by loyalist paramilitaries for the supply of class A drugs in North Belfast.
She said it was a highly sophisticated and developed system with purpose-built hides in fields not on the property but convenient to an address on Flush Road.
Nothing had been found in a follow-up search of Smith’s house, but that a search of McMahon’s home uncovered 3,740 euro and a substantial quantity of figures which police say related to drug-dealing figures because of their references to halves and quarters alongside names, the court heard.
A lawyer for Smith told the court that his client protested his innocence and would maintain that the sheds in question were pigeon sheds which his client had been cleaning when the PSNI raid occurred. He said there was no forensic evidence against his client.
The court heard that McMahon had told police he had gone to the property at Flush Road to leave off a car to be prepared for MOT.
The pair were refused bail and remained in custody until November 29.
info@irelandclick.com
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
