Carlow man in court charged over €7m cannabis seizure
An Garda Siochána
A CARLOW man was among three men and a woman who have appeared in court in connection with the discovery of cannabis worth an estimated €7m in Ballitore, County Kildare.
Emre Ozdemier (29) of Burrin Street, Carlow, appeared before a late sitting of Naas District Court on Friday along with co-accused Alex Forsyth (33) of Dunedin Terrace, Monkstown Farm, Dublin; John Weekes (38) of Branswood, Athy and Alanna Corrigan (29) of Crookstown Upper, Ballitore.
The four face charges of possessing cannabis and possessing it for sale or supply on 1 April at Crookstown Upper, Ballitore.
Garda Kayleigh Milward said Mr Ozdemier was arrested at Crookstown Upper, where, it is alleged, he had hidden in a ditch for more than three hours before being found by gardaí.
Gda Milward said 350kg of cannabis was located in a shed at the property. In a follow-up search, gardaí found tubs of benzocaine, said to be a mixing agent, the court was told.
Defending solicitor Tim Kennelly said Mr Ozdemier only used cannabis to alleviate pain caused by a work accident and his client only tried to leave the scene because there was a small amount of cannabis in his vehicle.
Giving evidence of arresting Mr Forsyth, Garda Elaine Commins said he made an admission about the shed being used to store cannabis and that he is the occupier of the address.
She said the intelligence-led operation saw searches conducted at locations in Kildare and Carlow.
Defence solicitor David Powderly described Mr Forsyth as a mule who is on the lowest possible rung of the ladder and who only supplied the shed to be used for storage by others.
Garda Commins told the court that the third defendant, John Weekes, was observed attempting to flee the scene and discarded two phones while leaving. A wallet with documents belonging to him was found in a vehicle owned by Mr Ozdemier.
Barrister Richard Wixted said the only evidence against Mr Weekes was that he happened to be on the premises and “reacted in a rash way” when gardaí arrived. The barrister said his client was only there to retrieve a wallet.
Ms Corrigan was the only defendant to be granted bail subject to signing on conditions, providing a mobile phone number and surrendering her passport.
Judge Desmond Zaidan upheld garda objections to bail against the other three defendants. All four will appear in court again on Wednesday 8 April.
