Drugs haul represents organized crime at highest level, judge says
The concealment of £10 million of drugs in a lorry represents organised crime at its "highest level", a judge has said.
District Judge Eamon King made the remarks as he refused bail to a man charged in connection with the largest ever seizure of cocaine made by police in Northern Ireland.
Police recovered the drugs with an estimated street value of £10 million from a lorry in Jonesborough, County Armagh, on December 11.
Ciaran McBride, 38, from Mellifont Drive, Armagh, appeared at Newry Magistrates' Court on Wednesday via videolink from Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.
He is charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.
McBride is further charged with paying for sexual services, and driving while disqualified and driving without insurance or MOT.
He said "yes" when asked if he understood the charges.
A detective constable told the court he could connect McBride to the charges.
A prosecuting solicitor told the court that on December 11 police had attended Flurrybridge Business Park near Newry and observed a small lorry and a larger lorry with Dutch number plates.
She said packets of frozen pork mince were being transported from one vehicle to the other, adding that McBride was the driver of the smaller vehicle.
The prosecutor said checks revealed the vehicle was not insured and McBride was a disqualified driver and he was arrested.
The lawyer said follow-up searches revealed approximately 100 blocks of suspected cocaine were located concealed within the boxes of frozen meat.
She added: "Police were able to access Mr McBride's phone and as a result of information and photographs on the phone he was further charged with paying for sexual services."
He did not make any comment under police interview other than a short prepared statement denying involvement in the supply of drugs, she said.
The lawyer told the court that the drugs had been concealed in a "professional manner".
The detective constable said: "In relation to the date of the offences, messages would indicate that he was in the process of purchasing prostitutes that morning and consuming cocaine.
"He seems to live a bit of reckless lifestyle."
A defence lawyer made an application for bail, pointing out that his client had originally been arrested on motoring offences and been bailed, but had then freely made himself available for police questioning in relation to the drugs offences and handed over his phone.
The lawyer asked the PSNI officer what had happened to the lorry with the Dutch number plates.
The detective constable said the driver had not been detained as no offences were detected relating to him at the time.
The officer also said that a factor in the delay between McBride's lorry being seized and the drugs being discovered was the amount of time it had taken the meat to defrost.
District Judge King said: "The court has heard the background to the basis to which this detection was made and the impression is that there is a significant amount of investigation that has to continue.
"There is no doubt this is a serious offence, it is estimated before the court the amount of drugs involved is £10 million.
"This is not an amateur enterprise, this is organised crime at its highest level."
Bail was refused and McBride will appear in court again on January 16.