Cookstown tragedy: No PSNI apology over drugs arrest
A senior police officer involved in investigating the Greenvale tragedy said today (Thursday) there would be no apology for yesterday’s drugs arrest.
On Wednesday afternoon a 52 year old man, who'd been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of three teenagers, was further arrested on suspicion of drugs offences.
It came after officers searching a house in Moneymore found a bag of white powder.
But just hours later they had to de-arrest him when it was revealed the substance was not drugs.
The man at the centre of the row has accused police of trying to blacken his name.
But Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray denies that - saying officers were simply following proper procedure.
"No I'm not going to apologise but what I am going to do is explain and I think that is only but right,'' he said.
"Everything that happened in relation to that arrest and seizure is what we normally do.''
Mr Murray said the officer who seized the item was justified in coming to the reasonable suspicion'' that it might have been drugs.
"It was white powder in an unmarked, unbranded clear plastic bag and around that are a number of individual tin foil pieces which are scrunched up and look like wraps, so the police officer seized that and reasonably suspects - and that is the threshold in law, because we are in the time and don't have the luxury of looking back - that these are drugs and makes a seizure.''
He said the forensic lab subsequently came back to state that while the substance had not been identified it was not controlled drugs.