Lithuanian footballer charged in connection with Trillick drugs

A LITHUANIAN teenager accused of cultivating cannabis in Trillick has been refused permission to return to his home country and resume his ‘promising’ professional football career, a court has heard.

At Omagh Magistrates Court last Thursday, 19-year-old Jokubas Jasikonis, with an address of Cavanamara View, Trillick, applied to vary his bail.

He is jointly-charged with another man, who has fled bail, with alleged cultivating, supplying and possession of cannabis in Trillick on April 17.

He is also charged with dishonestly using electricity on the same date.

A police officer told the court at a previous hearing that the estimated street value of the cannabis seized has been placed at £172,000.

Defence counsel Ciaran Roddy explained that Jasikonis was a professional footballer back in his home country of Lithuania.

According to football website Transfermarkt.co.uk, Jasikonis is a central midfielder for FC Ekranas, having joined on January 1, 2024.

In court on Thursday, Mr Roddy said that the 19-year-old would like to return to continue his professional career, highlighting a letter received from the club asking for his return.

Mr Roddy added that Jasikonis had a ‘genuinely promising’ future and currently earned €15,000 a month.

However, the police officer ‘strongly opposed’ allowing the variation, citing that the co-accused had skipped bail and remained at large.

They added that as part of the 19-year-old’s current bail conditions he has been ordered to surrender his passport.

District Judge Ted Magill said that he was not satisfied that the bail variation could be granted.