Police in Derry described the discovery of a stun gun at the home of a 33-year-old accused of supplying drugs as ‘extremely worrying’.
Martin White, of Clarendon Street, has been charged with possessing and supplying Class B drug cannabis, supplying Class C drug diazepam and possessing a prohibited weapon – namely a stun gun on March 13.
A police officer appeared in court to outline the case, he explained that the PSNI attended the defendant’s address as it was ‘suspected’ he was ‘involved in the supply of illegal drugs’.
As PSNI officers approached they noticed a male, White, throwing items from an upstairs window to another man below. The police officer said two envelopes were thrown down, one contained an ounce of cannabis and the other 100 diazepam tablets.
The court was told that officers then ran upstairs to White’s flat and he was arrested for alleged drugs offences and subsequently conveyed to Strand Road Police Station. In the meantime, police officers searched his address where they found digital scales, suspected herbal cannabis, a bong, grinder and an envelope containing £300 in cash which was addressed to another man.
Most ‘worryingly’ the police officer said, a stun gun capable of discharging ‘25,000 volts of energy’ which was disguised as a ‘flashlight’ was found inside ‘a bright green box’.
The name ‘Marty White’ featured on another man’s phone, the police officer explained, while he was on pre-charge bail ‘not to possess a mobile phone’. However, no phone was recovered from the defendant’s address.
White had been arrested in relation to a ‘drugs investigation’ in 2016 during which he was uncooperative, the officer added.
During police interview in relation to the alleged offences from Tuesday March 13, the 33-year-old admitted throwing the items out the window but said he had no knowledge of the stun gun. He said the items belonged to the individual who was standing out on the street and that man had shouted to White, asking him to ‘throw down the blues’.
Supply
In the police officer’s view, White is ‘involved in the supply of illegal drugs’ and bail was objected to due to concerns about further offending. And it was ‘extremely worrying’ a stun gun was found with a high enough voltage that ‘if it was put in the human body, would cause significant damage’, according to the police officer.
It was the officer’s belief that White’s house had previously been raided and he believed that was his reason for removing the items from his property.
Representing the 33-year-old, defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said the other man (who was on the street) was released after being 28-day-charged. He said White has made the case that this other man brought the items to his house then left without them and asked the defendant to ‘throw them out’.
Mr MacDermott described it as ‘small-scale cannabis dealing’. The other individual accepted ownership of the diazepam tablets but not for the cannabis, the court heard.
The defendant’s last drugs conviction was in 2010, the defence solicitor added, and he asked for White to be granted bail with strict conditions attached.
‘Potentially lethal’
District Judge Barney McElholm raised concerns about the stun gun which he - along with the police officer believed - could ‘potentially be lethal’. He added: “There’s a possibility he’s telling the truth and this other person did bring the items in to the flat, but it seems odd that he would go out and leave so many things behind.
“It sounds as if it’s a possibility that he knew it was there, but that’s somewhat speculative. It’s a possibility it was delivered or the other man had it on him. But why take it out and leave it down.”
However, the District Judge said ‘there was just enough there to grant bail’. White was released on his own bail of £500 with a curfew of 11pm-7am, he will be electronically tagged, must have no non-prescribed drugs, no contact with co-accused, is prohibited from possessing a mobile phone, SIM or have any internet enabled device and has to sign weekly.
The 33-year-old will appear for a court sitting again on April 5.
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