Man in court after drugs find

James Arnold Wilson (27), with an address at Waveney Road, Ballymena, is accused of possession of a class B substance, namely herbal cannabis; possession of the substance with intent to supply; and cultivating cannabis plants.

The charges relate to the discovery of 30 cannabis plants at an address at Lower Captain Street on February 21.

A PSNI officer told Ballymena Magistrates Court that there was “no intelligence” involved in the search, which was undertaken after police were made aware of information from another person who had been in a flat in the same building.

Answering questions from District Judge Des Perry, the officer said the plants were at “different levels of readiness”, all in one room and that the electricity supply had not been tampered with in any way.

Wilson was remanded on his own bail of £500 to appear again at the same court on April 5. He warned Wilson that he is liable to be a “marked man” in terms of police officers stopping and searching him and warned him to adhere to bail conditions.

“If you were starting to dabble in drug production, you had better desist now,” the judge added.