A west Belfast man accused of travelling across the border with £180,000 worth of cocaine has been granted bail despite objections by police.
Standing in the dock of Craigavon Magistrates Court, 26-year-old Liam Dewer confirmed he was aware of the four charges against him.
Dewer, from Rodney Parade in Belfast, is accused of possessing cocaine, having the Class A drug with intent to supply, conspiring with others to supply cocaine and conspiring with others to import the Class A drug, all on November 8 this year.
A police constable said they had objections to bail as he was a flight risk, could commit further alleged offences and “there is also a risk to him personally”.
The court heard he was arrested on the A1 at Sprucefield with three kilograms of compressed white powder concealed in a hide under the flooring of a Citroen Berlingo van.
A photo of £15,000 in cash was also found on his phone along with calls which had been made to other suspects.
Police later carried out several searches and the defendant voluntarily appeared at a station for interview.
The constable said one other individual had been arrested and another also believed to be involved had an outstanding arrest warrant.
Dewer claimed he had travelled to Dublin to hand over money for the payment of damage to a vehicle and denied any knowledge of the drugs.
He claimed he had taken the picture of the cash as he had never seen that amount of money before and had given it to an unknown male in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre.
The constable told the court that Dewer “changed his story” at one stage and alleged he had been in Dublin the previous evening to meet the male but he had not turned up.
She said the van was registered to the male whose arrest was outstanding.
A defence solicitor said Dewer was not aware of the drugs and there was no cash or other items found.
He added that the accused's wife was prepared to act as a surety.
District Judge Mark McGarrity said he was taking account of Dewer’s co-operation with police and the "risk to his own safety is not a founded reason to deny bail”.
He was released on his own bail of £500, with his wife offering a surety of £750, along conditions including an electronic tag, curfew, reporting to police three times a week, surrendering any passport and having no contact with co-accused.
He will appear again on December 2.