Man bailed on drugs charges amid Ards and north Down feud
A man has been granted bail after appearing in court on drugs charges which police have linked to an ongoing feud between gangs in the Ards and North Down area.
Niki-Robert Anthony Gallagher, 35, of Tara Crescent in Newtownards, is facing four charges around the possession and supply of class A and class B drugs, cocaine and cannabis.
He appeared before Newtownards Magistrates' Court via videolink from Musgrave police station in Belfast, and answered "yes" when asked if he understood the charges.
A detective constable told the court he understood the facts of the case, and could connect the accused to the charges.
Judge Mark Hamill allowed bail with a number of conditions, including a Ă‚ÂŁ500 surety.
The case is next to be mentioned on September 13.
Gallagher was arrested along with a second man, aged 44, on Thursday by detectives investigating criminal activity linked to the feud which has been ongoing for a number of months.
The 44-year-old is charged with possession and supply of a class A drug, and encouraging or assisting offences, and is due to appear before Newtownards Magistrates' Court next month.
Earlier, during the sitting of Newtownards Magistrates' Court on Friday, Judge Hamill refused to adjust bail conditions for a man who has been charged in connection with the feud.
David Milligan, 43, from Shackleton Walk is accused of being part of a gathering that entered the Weaver's Grange estate on April 6.
The incident came during a time of heightened tensions in the area following a series of attacks on property linked to the feud between opposing gangs.
A lawyer for the defendant asked for an adjustment of bail conditions to allow his client to attend a sports match in Newtownards for a team he coaches.
He is currently restricted from entering Newtownards.
The application was opposed as the location requested was described as "very close to where the incident took place".
Judge Hamill refused the application.
"I am not micro-managing bail. They got bail in the teeth of an ongoing vicious feud and then they nibble away at the edges of it," he said.
"No more nibbling."