Man Charged As £260k Cannabis Seized

A man is due in court in connection with the seizure of cannabis worth £260,000 in Co Down.

The 53 year-old was arrested in Banbridge on Wednesday 11 December after the drugs were discovered when a package destined for the town was intercepted.

He is charged with attempting to import a controlled drug and will appear in court this morning, Thursday 12 December.

Detective Inspector Barry Hamilton, from the PSNI's Organised Crime Unit, said: "Today's arrest followed the recent interception of a parcel from the postal system containing approximately £260,000 of suspected cannabis.

"Tackling the illegal supply and use of drugs is a priority for police and seizures such as this demonstrate our ongoing commitment to tackling the scourge of drugs in our society.

"With this substantial amount of illegal drugs removed from our streets today, we continue to make Northern Ireland a hostile environment for those involved in drug dealing within our communities. We will seek to identify them, arrest them and bring them before the courts.

"Those involved in drugs criminality seek to line their own pockets at the expense of causing harm to others. They set out to ruin the communities that they live and operate in and they do not care about the damage that they cause, preying on those who are vulnerable."

Any members of the public with information about the sale or supply of illegal drugs is urged to contact police on non-emergency line 101. Details can also be provided anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.



(JG/MH)