Tyrone man owes crime gang £100,000 after drugs bust, court told

A TYRONE lorry driver who worked with an organised crime gang (OCG) to smuggle drugs into Ireland has been granted bail, despite concerns for his safety.

The man, who is not being named to protect his identity, appeared at Omagh Magistrates Court, where police detailed his involvement in trafficking cannabis from England.

The court heard that officers searched his home on January 21 under warrant.

While the search was underway, the defendant returned home and was arrested.

During police interviews – conducted without legal representation – the man admitted to smuggling drugs as part of a side business to make extra money.

He confessed to transporting cannabis hidden in the undercarriage of his lorry, sometimes in quantities as large as 47 kilograms. He also revealed that he had left a burner phone and cash attached to a telegraph pole, which police later recovered.

Police objected to bail, warning that the defendant’s life could be at risk as he now owes the OCG approximately £100,000 for the lost drugs and resulting profit loss.

A detective told the court that officers did not believe the man had been fully honest during interviews and that CCTV evidence linked him to the drug trade.

Defence counsel Damien Halleron, instructed by solicitor Patrick Roche, argued that no drugs were found during the search and that his client had made admissions at interview.

He added that it was ‘highly unlikely’ the defendant would contact the OCG again after cooperating with police.

District Judge Ted Magill described the man as a ‘clean banana’ used by the gang to ‘fly under the radar’ due to his lack of a criminal record, stating he was ‘as disposable as the burner phones’.

Despite police objections, the judge granted bail on the defendant’s own recognizance of £500, requiring him to reside at an address approved by police.

A reporting restriction was imposed to protect his new location.