PSNI Inspector Roy Robinson with the drugs seized by police in Lisnaskea last week
A LOCAL police inspector suspects that £43,000 worth of drugs, seized by police in Lisnaskea last week was being transferred to a property within the county.
On Wednesday October 22 a van containing a cannabis production unit was stopped by police officers at the Moorlough Road near Lisnaskea at approximately 8.30pm.
Equipment and a quantity of suspected cannabis plants, believed to be valued at approximately £43,000, were seized by police.
The van was stopped by police officers who were on routine operations when they detected a particular smell.
On Friday three Vietnamese men – all with London addresses – appeared at Dungannon court on charges relating to alleged cannabis production in Fermanagh. Xuon Van Nguyei (45) of Southbourne Road; Anh Tuan Phom (44) of Geraint Road, and Trung Quoc Phung (41) of Harold Gribbons, Court are accused of unlawful possession of cannabis, possession with intent to supply, and cultivating cannabis plants.
The defence solicitor disclosed his clients all work part-time and have addresses in England, with no connections locally.
There was no application for bail and all three were remanded in custody at appear by video-link at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on November 10.
PSNI Inspector Roy Robinson said it was clear these men were moving the drugs, most likely to an address in Fermanagh.
“They were clearly moving the drugs. They had electrical equipment, they had bulbs and clearly they were moving this to another property. They had already been grown somewhere else to that size and can grow to three or four foot. They were in the process of moving them to a property I suspect is in Fermanagh. Was someone letting the house to these three gentlemen?
“Someone obviously had a tenant going into their house who hasn’t moved in or maybe associates have already moved in. The person may be unaware they are in their house doing this type of thing so I would advise them to check their property as there is going to be significant damage.”
The Inspector explained that previous houses used for drug cultivation have been left significantly damaged.
“It is generally two storey houses which are used. The mixing of the products is done downstairs and then the upstairs is used to grow. They use upstairs bedrooms and they’re really making a tremendous mess. They are cutting holes in walls to make vents to pipe it up into the roof space and to pipe it all around the place. They use silver ducting to put it up into the roof space and into the chimneys to get rid of the hot air. They put polythene on the floors so they can continually spray the crops as they grow. The houses are like jungles they’re so hot and almost always they bypass the electricity, they’re using huge amounts of electricity.”
He added: “The windows will be blacked out to prevent light coming in, there will be no mist on the inside of the window because it is so warm and the window will actually be warm to touch. There will be no sign of any life and the curtains will be pulled.
“This is a very complex operation and these people are experts in it. They are spending in the region of £25,000 to £35,000 on electricity in a three month period as the bulbs they are using are so massive. And these people are bypassing electricity so someone is having to foot the bill. In winter these houses are very distinctive as there is no snow on the roof tiles as it is so hot.”
Drugs busts in Fermanagh: March 2012 – October 2014:
• October 2014- Cannabis plants worth £43,000 and equipment seized in the Moorlough Road area of Lisnaskea.
• August 2014 – Cannabis plants with a potential street value of around £100,000 seized by police in the Newtownbutler area
• April 2014 – approximately £9,000 worth of cocaine was located by police in the Lisnaskea area
• January 2014 – Cannabis with an estimated street value of £160,000 seized by police in the Enniskillen area
• May 2012 – Drugs with an estimated street value of £130,000 seized in the Garrison area
• December 2012- approximately £175,000 of Cannabis plants seized in the Lisnaskea/Derrylin area
• April 2012 – approximately £19,000 worth of cannabis plants seized in the Belcoo area.
• March 2012 – 800 cannabis plants, worth about £350,000, found during a search in the Tempo area.
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