Man charged over £1.8m of suspected cocaine in car

A man has appeared in court charged in connection with the seizure of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.8m in Omagh.

Conor Patrick O’Donnell, 38, appeared at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of Class A controlled drugs with intent to supply and importing a Class A controlled drug.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer told the court she was aware of the facts and circumstances of the case and could connect the accused to the charges.

She said the defendant was arrested after police stopped a white Citroen Berlingo van on the Doogarry Road in Omagh on Thursday.

The detective constable added the driver was the defendant, Mr O’Donnell, and that there were no other people in the vehicle.

The court heard police searched the vehicle and located “15 packages secreted in a hide".

The officer said “at that stage” police believed the packages contained Class A controlled drugs with an approximate value of £750,000.

The court heard that during police interview the defendant accepted he was the owner of the vehicle, which is registered and insured to him.

The police officer said Mr O'Donnell also accepted a mobile phone seized from the vehicle belonged to him.

“The defendant said no comment to all questions relating to what was contained in the 15 packages seized by police, where they came from and what he intended to do with them," the court was told.

The officer said the mobile phone seized from the defendant was examined by the PSNI’s Cyber Support Unit who gained access to the device, despite an incorrect passcode being supplied by the accused.

The court heard this identified GPS information showing the device travelled from Londonderry to Thomastown in the Republic of Ireland before returning to Northern Ireland, via Aughnacloy, prior to the defendant being stopped by police.

The officer told the court police weighed the 15 packages of suspected cocaine and confirmed the weight, including packaging, to be more than 18kg.

She added this put the estimated street value "in the region of £1.8m".

A defence solicitor applied for bail and a full anonymity order for his client.

The solicitor said there had “been number of incidents of individuals charged with these, or similar offences, being subjected to threats or actual harm being inflicted upon them and ultimately death on some occasions".

The court was told the defendant had no previous drugs-related offences.

The PSNI detective constable confirmed to the district judge the "risk of further offences" was the only police objection to bail.

She added that police believe Mr O'Donnell to be "a member of an organised criminal gang operating in the Derry/Londonderry area with links to the INLA" and that the defendant, who receives benefits, did not have the money to buy the quantity of suspected drugs seized.

The officer also told the court “there is the possibility paramilitaries or criminal elements may attack him following his arrest", adding she was "not aware of any specific threat" against the defendant.

She agreed with the judge that police concerns over a threat could be correctly described as "generic".

The judge refused the application for bail, due to the risk of further offending, and the anonymity order, but he did impose a reporting restriction on the defendant's address being published.

The case was adjourned until 17 December.