Four men charged in relation to the weekend raid of Galway city grow houses which resulted in the seizure of cannabis plants with an estimated value of €730,000 have been further remanded in custody with consent to appear at Harristown District Court tomorrow.
Deshi Chen (29 ) and Zuo Huang (34 ) both of no fixed abode, and Li Wang (26 ) and Wan Sheng Lin (29 ) both with an address at 41 Linn Bhui, Bothar Stiofan, Rahoon, were brought in custody before Galway District Court on Monday charged with the cultivation of cannabis plants, possession of cannabis with intent to sell or supply, and possession of cannabis, contrary to Section 17, Section 15, and Section 3 respectively of the Misuse of Drugs Act, at 2 Garrai Sheain, Roscam, on July 14, 2012.
First to give evidence of arrest, charge, and caution was Garda Noel McNulty who gave details of how Wang was arrested last Sunday and brought to Galway Garda Station where he was charged and gave no reply after caution. Garda Barry Walsh informed the court that Lin had also been arrested on Sunday and gave no reply to the three charges. Garda Barry Nugent told the court that after arrest, charge, and caution Huang replied: “I only work for someone else.” Garda Cathal Rodgers gave evidence of arrest, charge, and caution in relation to Chen who gave a reply of “I did not grow” to one charge and “I know nothing” to another.
Inspector Mick Coppinger made an application to the court to have the accused men remanded into further custody to Harristown District Court. Defence solicitor for all four men, Sean Acton, made no application for bail at Monday’s sitting but indicated that an application for bail would be made in respect of all his clients, all Chinese nationals, at the next court appearance. Inspector Coppinger then informed the court that there would be an objection to a bail application.
Mr Acton made applications for legal aid stating that Wang had been in the country for one year and is unemployed. In relation to Lin Mr Acton said that his client had been in the country eight years and had a sporadic employment history. The court heard that Huang had been one year in Ireland and had been working in a Chinese takeaway but was now unemployed. Chen, who has been living in Ireland for the past 11 years, also worked in the Chinese food industry but is now unemployed.
After granting legal aid, Judge Mary Fahy remanded all four accused men in custody with consent to appear at Harristown District Court tomorrow, July 20, for DPP directions and bail applications.
The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into the sale and supply of cannabis in the Galway area. Last Saturday evening, July 14, gardai carried out searches at two addresses in the Roscam and Mervue areas where two grow houses were discovered.
