Northern Ireland

Two men in court following £500,000 cannabis seizure

Police have named a man who died at the scene of a three-car collision
The pair appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court (Niall Carson/PA)

Two men have been remanded into custody on charges connected to a £500,000 cannabis seizure in south Belfast.

Chinese nationals Siong Shok Goh (43) and Yilin Xie (23) were arrested after police stopped and searched two Mercedes cars at Osborne Park on March 1.

The pair appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court jointly accused of possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug.

Officers recovered vacuum-packed boxes of herbal cannabis, according to the PSNI.

Follow-up searches were carried out at premises on the nearby Lisburn Road and in the Republic as part of the cross-border operation involving representatives of An Garda Siochana.

Up to 15kg of cannabis, with an estimated street value in excess of £500,000, was seized.

Goh, of Fairview Strand in Dublin, and Xie, from the Lisburn Road in Belfast, both said they understood the charges against them.

However, neither of the accused applied for bail at this stage.

Their lawyer told the court further inquiries have to be made before seeking release from custody.

An investigating detective confirmed: “We are objecting to bail.”

No further details were disclosed during the brief hearing.

District Judge Steven Keown remanded both defendants in custody, to appear again by video-link on March 12.