A 33-year-old man has been charged with a string of offences connected to the seizure of drugs and cash during a police search operation in Bessbrook on Tuesday last.
The accused appeared before Banbridge Magistrates Court on Thursday morning where he was charged with possession of a class A controlled drug, possession of a class B controlled drug, possessing a class A controlled drug with intent to supply, possessing a class B controlled drug with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of £160,000, along with a quantity of cash, were discovered when officers from the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch carried out searches of two houses in the Bessbrook area on Tuesday evening.
Three people were arrested during the operation. The 33-year-old man was charged while a second man and a woman, both aged 27, were released on police bail the following day pending further enquiries.
Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy said “lives have been saved” at the drugs seizure.
“It is essential that the PSNI is effective in removing drugs from our streets and also arresting those believed to be involved in the supply trade,” he said. “These people have no regard for the people in their own communities, but instead are fuelled by a selfish desire to make money from others’ addictions.”
Echoing her colleague’s sentiments, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew added that she “shares the delight of the community that such a huge amount of drugs have been taken off our streets”.
Ulster Unionist Councillor David Taylor praised the PSNI, saying the news was “warmly received” by the community.
“I want to congratulate the police on this successful operation and indeed their continued work to remove the scourge of drugs from within society. I have no doubt the public will be relieved that the quantity of drugs recovered will be no longer available for supply on our streets,” he said.