BREAKING: Bail refused for Kildare man accused of handling €1.1 million worth of cannabis

Bail was refused for a man accused of being in possession of €1.1 million worth of cannabis for the purpose of sale and supply in the Clane area.

The allegations relate to Michael Sullivan, of Killina, Carbury, who was arrested yesterday in connection to the alleged offence.

The 43-year-old appeared in Naas District Court earlier today and was represented by solicitor David Powderly during a contested bail application.

A garda with the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau yesterday alleged that yesterday morning, following a joint operation with the Revenue Customs Service, they came across Mr Sullivan opening up a pallet which contained 55 kilograms of cannabis and moving boxes in Clane Business Park.

It was alleged that the consignment that Mr Sullivan was accused of handling was made out to an Irish company.

The garda further alleged that phone messages contained on the accused’s phone showed that he knew what the delivery contained.

"The discovery of the drugs would have been of a significant loss to an organised crime group," the garda explained to Judge Desmond Zaidan.

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The garda objected to bail for Mr Sullivan, and said that there was a high likelihood that he would allegedly go on to commit further offences, and was at risk of fleeing the jurisdiction.

However, Mr Powderly said that his client was 'tied to Ireland': he said that he was a family man and is the sole provider for his children.

Although Mr Powderly said that his client would be willing to surrender his passport to gardaí, and would also be willing to provide a large sum of money for surety for bail, the garda still maintained that there were no grounds to satisfy his concerns.

Mr Powderly told Judge Zaidan that he noted that 'the garda did not disagree with the fact that his client has ties to Ireland,' and added that while the allegations made against Mr Sullivan were serious, that 'the court was entitled to balance it against his entitlements.'

"All of this points to him being a man who would turn up to court," he said.

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VERDICT

Judge Zaidan said that 'common sense' must be applied in the case.

"While there are some merits in the proposal put forward by Mr Powderly, I have no doubt that the charges are serious," he said: "The more serious an allegation is, the higher the chance that the accused may abscond."

He also said that he was of the belief that Mr Sullivan may allegedly be 'part of a larger criminal enterprise that involves other people on a wider scale,' and as such, he refused bail for the accused.

Concluding his verdict, he said that he was 'satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that it would be inappropriate for bail to be granted in this case.'

The judge remanded Mr Sullivan into custody until the case returns to court on March 23 for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.