Christopher James Wauchope: Man arrested in Castlederg over £64,000 Belgium drugs find
A man has appeared at Strabane Magistrates Court, County Tyrone, after the seizure of an estimated £64,000 worth of herbal cannabis in Belgium.
Christopher James Wauchope, 40, was arrested following a search of his home at Strabane Road, Castlederg, on Tuesday.
He faces four charges relating to attempted importation and attempted possession with intent to supply.
The defendant will appear in court by video link on 21 April.
The court heard that on 15 March the Belgian authorities intercepted a postal package containing 3.2kg of a suspected Class B drug.
The National Crime Agency was alerted and they in turn spoke with the PSNI as it was addressed to a 'Christopher Walker'.
When police swooped on the defendant's home he immediately admitted knowledge of the package but said he did not know the identity of the sender.
He said his payment for receiving the package was to be a small amount of cannabis for his own personal use.
In court, police opposed bail on the grounds that Mr Wauchope could tip his contacts off about the investigation.
The District Judge said the defendant there was a "real and substantial risk of interference with the administration of justice and any further investigation".
Mr Wauchope will reappear at Strabane Magistrates Court next month. Bail has been refused.
On Wednesday, in a separate incident, police arrested a 40-year-old man in the Carnhill area of Londonderry, after herbal cannabis with a potential street value of £66,000 was also uncovered in Belgium.