MAN REMANDED IN CUSTODY AFTER €200,000 CASTLEBLAYNEY DRUGS SEIZURE

A 34-year-old man was remanded in custody after being brought before a sitting of the District Court in Cavan on a charge linked to the seizure of €194,800 worth of suspected herbal cannabis at a premises in the York Street area of Castleblayney on Wednesday of last week. Approximately 9.7 kilogrammes of the suspected drug, which is being submitted for chemical analysis, were seized in a joint operation involving members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, Louth Cavan Monaghan Crime Hub, and the Revenue Customs Service. York Street was closed off for a time in the afternoon as the operation, which Gardaí said was part of ongoing investigations into the sale and distribution of controlled drugs, was conducted.

The Gardaí said that the raid came about as the result of “a co-ordinated, intelligence-led operation”. The following day, Thursday, Marcin Sznaza (34) of No Fixed Abode appeared before Judge Raymond Finnegan at Cavan District Court charged with possession of the drug and possession for the purposes of sale or supply, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act at York Street, Castleblayney on April 10. Roisin Courtney, solicitor for the defendant, told the court that no bail application was being made but that her client was in need of medical attention. Directing that the defendant receive medical treatment, Judge Finnegan remanded him to Cloverhill Prison to…