Lithuanian man '˜high up in drugs chain' to stand trial over cocaine

At Lisburn Magistrates’ Court, 31-year-old Egiditus Sakys spoke only to confirm that he understood the charges against him and that he had no objections to the preliminary enquiry, the last stage before a case is referred to the Crown Court.

Father-of-two Sakys, from the Ballynahinch Road in Lisburn, is accused of possessing cocaine with intent to supply and simple possession of the Class A drug on September 16 last year.

When Sakys first appeared last year, a detective constable told the court that although by weight the drugs would be worth around £150,000, Sakys himself commented the cocaine had a purity of 90 per cent.

The officer said if that transpired to be accurate, the 2.5 kilos would be ‘cut’ before it got to the “end user” and would be worth “in the region of £1.5 million”.

The detective said police searched his home under warrant and uncovered the drugs hidden in a kitchen cupboard, a wellington boot and amongst car cleaning products.

The officer said scales were also uncovered leading police to suspect they would be used in the cutting or mixing process.

He said that Sakys’ comments over the drugs’ supposed purity came “during the custody process” and that he also claimed “if released he may be killed and he would be in need of protection”.

During interviews, the court heard how Sakys claimed he was storing the drugs under duress after persons came to his home and threatened both him and his family.

The detective claimed, however, that given the amount of cocaine, the police view is that he is “high up on the food chain to be trusted with such a large amount”.

A prosecuting lawyer submitted there was sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case against the alleged drug dealer.

Remanding Sakys back into custody, District Judge Peter King returned the case to Craigavon Crown Court for trial and ordered him to appear there on June 21 for his arraignment.