Enniskillen Court House RMG10
A CHINESE man charged in connection with a drugs haul worth an estimated £76,000 in Fermanagh in June has been remanded in custody for yet another month.
Ze Yong Jiang (43) with an address at Main Street, Larne appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday via videolink from Maghaberry Prison for an update on his case. He is charged with possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply, namely cannabis, two counts of possessing cannabis, and with possessing a Class A drug, namely cocaine.
The charges relate to the seizure of drugs in the Tamlaght area on June 15. On Monday it was revealed Jiang, who has been in custody since his arrest, was the sole occupant of a car in which the drugs had been found. While the defendant told police he had been transporting a package, he denies knowing it had contained the drugs.
Jiang’s case had previously been adjourned in September as the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) were awaiting a number of forensic reports. The court was told all of these reports, except two, had since been received.
One of those still pending is a finger print report, which the second is a cyber crime report relating to material found on a mobile phone which police believe may implicate in drug-related money laundering.
A spokesman for the PPS said the case had been progressing since it was previously before the court, with the senior prosecutor meeting with police last week, however both the cyber crime and finger reports were still outstanding. The spokesperson added they had asked for these reports to be expedited.
Jiang’s defence team expressed their concerns once again about delays in the case.
District Judge John Meehan agreed to adjourn the case for a further four weeks, until November 28.
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