Belfast man accused of having £300,000 worth of cannabis discovered after car was driven into his home and set alight
A Belfast man accused of having £300,000 worth of cannabis discovered after a car was driven into his home and set alight is to be granted bail, a High Court judge ruled today.
David McAdams, 47, is facing prosecution over the haul seized at the scene of the suspected arson attack on Erinvale Avenue earlier this month.
Mr Justice Colton held that he can be released from custody to live at an alternative, undisclosed address. McAdams has been charged with possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply.
Emergency services were called to the area when the car rammed the Erinvale Avenue property before being set alight on July 5.
The court heard McAdams arrived on the scene following the attack and was asked by fire crews to switch off electricity inside his house. He appeared to be nervous as he went to a cupboard under the stairs to turn off the supply, according to the prosecution.
Crown counsel Mark Conlon said police detected the smell of drugs and observed black bin bags wrapped in tape in the storage area. Nearly 30 kilos of cannabis with an estimated street value of £300,000 was subsequently recovered.
“(The defendant) confirmed being the owner of the property and said renovations had been ongoing for a number of months, with various builders within the property,” Mr Conlon said.
McAdams told police he attended the address to assess that work but denied knowing anything about the drugs.
Bail was opposed amid claims he could be at risk due to the scale of the seizure.
“The same property has been targeted in the past, and residents in the area have voiced concerns to the police about the applicant,” the prosecutor added.
A defence barrister argued that police had changed their reasons for objecting to McAdams’ release.
The court also heard he has not lived in the house since a previous attack in January rendered it uninhabitable.
“The drugs found were not particularly well secreted,” the lawyer contended. “He doesn’t know how they got there… it’s a weak case.”
Granting bail, Mr Justice Colton ordered McAdams to lodge a £5,000 cash surety as part of the release conditions.