Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Man, 72, charged after PSNI seize ‘almost £1m of cannabis’
OAP allegedly in crime gang, court told
A 72-YEAR-OLD man charged with conspiracy to supply cannabis following the seizure of drugs worth almost £1million has been refused bail.
Yue Chen Ju, of Hillview Terrace in B a n b r i d g e , a p p e a r e d a t Ne w r y Magistrates Court yesterday via video link from a holding cell in Lurgan.
The court heard the defendant was alleged to be part of a sophisticated European-wide crime gang operating within the UK.
A PSNI detective said the accused had been arrested after a suspect package from Holland had been intercepted. A large quantity of suspected cannabis valued at £900,000 was discovered in vacuum packaging and covered in sweat shirts.
It was addressed to a house i n Banbridge where the defendant answered the door to an unannounced PSNI search.
The police officer said: “An amount of sweat shirts matching those found in the suspect package were found in the property.”
Forensics on a phone was said to show a “colossal” amount of i mages of cannabis on kitchen tiles said to match those at the property in question q and one other suspect house. se.
The accused claimed d to have rented the property, ty, but had no evidence of a deposit or rent paid.
A defence solicitor said his client was in the UK illegally and had d no documents in his s possession to leave the
jurisdiction n. .
He added: “He has been in Northern Ireland since 2001 and has worked in Chinese restaurants. He has not come to the attention of police in 19 years and has family in China.”
District Judg Judge Eamonn King said: “I have serious se concerns if the defe defendant is released, he w would abscond and could a also become involved in o other criminal activities.” The case was adjourned to October 8, with the accused re ma n d e d b a c k into custody.