Man Sentenced Over £1m Drugs Haul

A 50-year-old man from Greenisland has been sentenced to six years in prison for possession of cannabis estimated to be worth £1m.

The PSNI said the haul was the largest single drugs seizure last year.

Matthew Tyrie, of Knockleigh Walk, Greenisland, was found guilty by a jury at Craigavon Crown Court last December and was sentenced to six years today. Three years will be in custody and three on licence.

A Serious Crime Prevention Order was also imposed on Tyrie for five years following his release from prison.

The seizure occurred on 23 January last year when officers discovered 210 kilos of cannabis resin, after stopping a car heading south on the A1 Belfast to Newry carriageway at the Hillsborough Road roundabout.

The seizure was the largest in Northern Ireland last year of any controlled drug, both in weight and in value, and was the biggest seizure of cannabis resin for five years in Northern Ireland.

Detectives believe Tyrie was an active member of an organised crime group.

Head of Organised Crime Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent Roy McComb, said: "We are delighted to have taken £1m worth of drugs out of circulation and we welcome the conviction and subsequent sentencing.

"We have taken a substantial quantity of drugs off the street and have made our communities safer. We will continue to work to frustrate, disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups. We ask for continued support and information from the public so that we can make the world a smaller place for drug dealers."

(IT/CD)