Northern Ireland

Delivery driver remanded into custody accused of having £100,000 worth of cocaine hidden in specially modified car

Bail was denied on the grounds of risk of re-offending
Bail was denied on the grounds of risk of re-offending Bail was denied on the grounds of risk of re-offending

A delivery driver has been remanded into custody accused of having £100,000 worth of cocaine hidden in his specially modified car.

Police claimed the professionally-installed hydraulic system discovered after Christopher Cullen's vehicle was stopped in east Belfast was capable of storing up to 50 kilos of the drug.

The 31-year-old appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court in connection with the seizure of cocaine and £30,000 in cash by the PSNI's Paramilitary Crime Task Force.

Cullen of Upper Lisburn Road, Finaghy, faces charges of possessing Class A and C drugs with intent to supply, and having criminal property.

The court heard police monitored his Volkswagen Jetta as he drove to a property at Picardy Avenue on Saturday.

A package was allegedly passed in through the passenger window to his co-accused James McGrogan (36) of Ardenlee Drive in Belfast.

Armed response officers then stopped the Volkswagen a short distance away on the A55 outer-ring, where initial roadside examinations failed to find the suspected parcel.

Both men were allowed to leave the area, but the car was impounded at a PSNI station where more intensive searches uncovered one kilogram of the Class A drug within a specially designed hide area.

Officers also seized approximately £30,000 in cash contained in a shopping bag.

An investigating detective confirmed in court that the cocaine has an estimated street value of £100,000.

He added: "The car was modified with a professionally and sophisticatedly installed hydraulic system capable of storing a large quantity of drugs, potentially 50 kilograms of cocaine".

Opposing Cullen's application for bail, the detective claimed his clean record made him an ideal candidate to "fly below the radar" and transport drugs.

"If he has gone out of his way to modify this car, is it indicative that this is being done on a regular basis?" he asked.

Defence solicitor Adrian Harvey argued that a clear distinction could be made in the alleged roles played by his client and McGrogan, who was remanded in custody following a court appearance on Monday.

"There is no way Mr Cullen could have exited the vehicle or stopped driving to secrete any package," the lawyer said.

"He doesn't hide the fact that this was his vehicle, he works for a local delivery firm."

Mr Harvey added: "This man has reached this age and never been before a court before for anything at all".

Bail was denied, however, on the grounds of risk of re-offending.

Remanding Cullen in custody until April 24, District Judge Steven Keown said: "The case, as set out, presents a large-scale and sophisticated drugs operation.

"The evidence before the court suggests that the defendant is clearly involved at a trusted and high level."