Belfast man under duress to pay off £5,000 got involved in £200,000 street dealing plot, court told

A man was remanded into custody today accused of storing more than £200,000 worth of cannabis linked to the East Belfast UVF.

Police discovered the illicit haul along with nearly £10,000 in cash during searches at Lee McAuley’s home on Wednesday after his fingerprints were identified on a previous seizure.

The 23-year-old, of Albertbridge Road in the city, claimed he became involved in street dealing under duress to pay off a £5,000 debt, a judge was told.

McAuley appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on two charges of possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply and a further count of possessing criminal property.

An investigating detective said the case was related to a wider Paramilitary Crime Task Force investigation into the activities of the East Belfast UVF.

As part of that probe officers stopped another man driving a vehicle in the city on 15 September last year and recovered 2kg of herbal cannabis.

Fingerprints found on the consignment were subsequently matched to McAuley.

On Wednesday morning detectives arrested him at his home in connection with the earlier seizure.

Searches of the property led to the recovery of a further 10.2kg of herbal cannabis and up to £10,000 in cash, the court heard.

Most of the drugs were discovered vacuum-packed and stored inside cardboard boxes in a rear shed.

“The total street value of the drugs seized on July 5 was in the realms of £204,000,” the detective disclosed.

During interviews, McAuley accepted being in control of the cannabis and selling it in quantities of up to 1kg.

“He stated that he collected tens of thousands of pounds a week and passed it back to other criminal elements higher up the chain,” the detective added.

“The defendant claimed he was doing this under duress.”

Opposing bail, police claimed there would be a risk to the public if McAuley was released.

"He stated that he had racked up a debt of approximately £5,000 and therefore his way of paying off this debt was to engage in street drug dealing,” the detective said.

“The defendant himself stated that he would be forced to re-engage in the same drug dealing activity for which he has been arrested.”

A defence solicitor described it as “a particularly sad case” where McAuley has battled a significant drug addiction and mental health issues following a family bereavement.

She said the father-of-one cooperated with police and provided an explanation for any involvement.

“He put forward a position of duress,” the lawyer confirmed.

“He is extremely remorseful and suffers from anxiety and depression.”

Refusing bail, however, District Judge Anne Marshall cited the risk of re-offending.

“This is not a small-time drug dealer, these are two significant drug seizures,” she pointed out.

“He told the police when asked about the outstanding debt that he might need to sell more drugs.”

McAuley was remanded in custody to appear in court again on August 3.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.