A Co Down man has been jailed over the seizure of cocaine with a potential street value of £87,300.
The man, 40 and his co-accused also 40, were both sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Friday, September 6, for a number of drugs offences.
It comes after police stopped the car that they were travelling in, near the Fortwilliam roundabout in Belfast on July 26 last year.
When the vehicle was searched, amounts of cocaine and Tapentadol were seized. During a follow-up search at an industrial unit in Ballymena, rented by the Co Down man, cocaine with a potential street value of £87,300 was recovered.
The 40-year-old, from Holywood , was sentenced to:
- 2 x Counts of Possession of Cocaine (class A) with intent to supply (in relation to the seizure of Cocaine with a potential street value of £87,300) 6 years imprisonment for each to run concurrent
- 1 count of Possession of Diazepam (class C) with intent to supply - 6 years concurrent
- 1 count of Possession of Tapentadol (class A) - 2 years concurrent
- 1 count of Possession of Cannabis (class B) - 2 years concurrent
- 1 x count of Possession of Cannabis (class B) - 2 years concurrent
The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug, possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, possession of a Class B drug and possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply.
His co-accused, from Belfast, was sentenced to:
- 1 count of Possession of Cocaine (class A) with intent to supply – 8 months imprisonment suspended for 2 yrs
- 1 count of possession of Cannabis (class B) with intent to supply 8 months imprisonment suspended for 2 yrs.
It came after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A and B drug with intent to supply.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Foster said: "These drugs would have been destined for sale in the local community, causing harm and loss to local families. This investigation is evidence of our continuing commitment to removing dangerous drugs from our streets and prosecuting those who supply them.
"Drug dealers ruin the communities that they operate in and they do not care about the damage that they cause, preying on the most vulnerable members of their communities.
"We will continue to aggressively and proactively pursue those who are intent on damaging our communities by supplying illegal drugs and the communities most damaged by the scourge of drugs support our ongoing efforts. I would appeal for anyone with information regarding the supply of illegal drugs to contact police on 101.
"Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime."
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