Man 'preyed upon' to bring nearly £2m worth of drugs into NI, court hears

A debt-ridden lorry driver was “preyed upon” to bring nearly £2m worth of cocaine and cannabis into Northern Ireland, a court heard today. Andrew Stafford claims he had no way out of an arrangement to transport drugs from England because of fears for his family’s safety, his lawyer said. The 36-year-old was arrested after police stopped his vehicle and seized the haul at Belfast Harbour on February 12. Details emerged as Stafford, of Carrickmannon Road in Crossgar, Co Down, was refused bail on charges of possessing Class A and Class B drugs with intent to supply. Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard 10 kilos of cocaine and 60 kilos of cannabis were recovered during the operation. A detective said the total consignment is conservatively estimated to be worth £1.8m. Further quantities of cocaine, scales, suspected deal bags and ledgers with lists of names were allegedly found in follow-up searches at Stafford’s home. District Judge George Conner was told police believe Stafford is significantly involved in the drugs trade at local and importation levels. During interviews he claimed to have acted under duress due to a £7,000 debt, and denied knowing any cocaine was involved. According to his account a 31-year-old woman arrested along with him but later released on police bail only went on the trip for “company”. With no details provided on where the drugs were collected from, police are set to carry out further GPS and mobile phone inquiries in a bid to establish the exact pick-up point. Opposing Stafford’s bid to be released from custody, the detective contended: “We believe he’s operating as part of a wider network, possibly for an organized crime gang.” Defence solicitor Joe Mulholland argued that his client was assured only cannabis was involved, and feared his family could be in danger if he backed out. “He said he was preyed upon by people who knew he had a lorry,” the lawyer insisted. “He felt sick to the stomach, he was in fear and tried to back out but wasn’t allowed to. “These people targeted him, and once they lured him in, he could not get out.” Mr Mulholland added: “He’s horrified by the situation he found himself in, he’s a broken man.” Denying bail, however, Judge Conner ruled: “I think there is too high a risk to the public if this man is released.” Stafford was remanded in custody to appear in court again next month.