A Co Tyrone lorry driver has been charged after cannabis with an estimated street value of £2m was seized as part of an investigation into a suspected crime network based in the north.
Kirk Hackett (30) from Dungannon, was arrested after National Crime Agency (NCA) officers stopped a lorry on the A1 near Doncaster, England on Friday and found 73 kilos of cannabis allegedly concealed within the floor of the vehicle’s trailer.
The following day, 41-year-old Serghei Bacaianov, a Bulgarian national residing in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, was arrested by NCA officers at Killingholme Port in North Lincolnshire.
The officers intercepted a lorry arriving from the Netherlands containing fresh chicken, but a search uncovered 31 kilos of cannabis allegedly concealed in the floor of the vehicle.
Both men were charged following questioning by NCA officers, and Mr Hackett was due to appear before Doncaster Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, charged with charged with possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
Mr Bacaianov was charged with importation of drugs and was due to appear on Tuesday at Grimsby Magistrates Court.
Meanwhile, as part of the same investigation, two houses were searched in Co Tyrone at the weekend, and £30,000 cash and a Rolex watch were recovered.
Two men were also questioned on suspicion of involvement with both seizures, and were released on bail to allow for further enquiries.
