Bail is refused to accused in £500k Larne cannabis haul

A MAN charged in connection with the seizure of more than £500,000 of cannabis has appeared in court.

Ricki Lee Darbyshire, a lorry driver from Ashton-in-makerfield, near Wigan, was arrested after the haul was discovered in a lorry at Larne Port on Tuesday.

Ballymena Magistrates Court was told the 37-year-old was charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply, possessing cannabis and possessing an offensive weapon.

Objecting to bail, a policeman said he believed he could connect the charges to the defendant, who appeared at the hearing via video-link from custody.

Officers found a lock knife in his cab, which he said was “for his own protection for when he was lying up at night”.

They were about to caution him over the weapon when customs officials found 34 kilos of vacuum-packed cannabis in boxes in the lorry’s trailer.

The court was told the defendant made admissions at the scene and said he had been paid €1,000 to move the drugs. When he was interviewed Darbyshire said he was in London when “somebody made contact and asked if he would like to earn some extra money”.

When police in England searched his home they found £3,000 the defendant said was “legitimate income”.

The police officer told the court the PSNI doubted Darbyshire’s claims he was randomly chosen to move the drugs and instead believed the case involved organised crime gangs.

“With the significant loss (for) the groups or gangs these drugs may belong to, we would have concerns about his safety,” he added.

Defence solicitor Stephen Mccann said: “I presume the suggestion is the gang would try to do him over because he has failed in some way. If this man was a mule... no one in the drug world is going to go near a man who is on the police radar.”

But the officer replied: “They may hold him responsible.”

Refusing bail, District Judge Nigel Broderick remanded him to reappear in court on April 8.