Men Jailed Following Newry Drug Seizure

Two men have been sentenced to more than 4 years at Newry Court following the seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of over £60,000.

Edmundas Gedvilas (63) was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment – half in prison and half on licence -  for one count of Possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply

Raimondas Zilionis (41) was sentenced to  32 months imprisonment – half in prison and half on licence – for two counts of Possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Organised Crime Unit have welcomed the sentencing of two men.

Detective Inspector Shaw said: "I welcome the conviction of both Gedvilas and Zilionis following the recovery of these drugs in May 2020 after police stopped and searched a vehicle under the Misuse of Drugs Act on the Armagh road between Armagh and Newry. On completing a search of the area officers located an amount of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of over £60,000.

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to both preventing dangerous drugs from ending up in local communities and pursuing those intent on destroying lives through the supply of illicit drugs.

"Drug dealers seek to make profit at the expense of causing harm and loss to local families. They set out to ruin the communities that they operate in and they do not care about the damage that they cause, preying on the most vulnerable members of their communities.

"We will continue to robustly and proactively pursue those who are intent on damaging our communities by supplying illegal drugs and the communities most damaged by the scourge of drugs support our ongoing efforts. I would appeal for anyone with information regarding the supply of illegal drugs to contact police on 101 or submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."