Man charged with possession of €1.6m worth of cannabis in Cork to enter guilty plea

Defendant remanded in continuing custody as gardaí believe he is a flight risk with no ties to this jurisdiction

Drugs were found at storage unit in Little Island. Picture: Getty

Signed pleas of guilty will be entered by a man caught with 80kg of cannabis with a street value of €1.6m at Little Island in July.

Defence solicitor Eddie Burke indicated at Cork District Court on Tuesday that 30-year-old Xiaochen Han, with an address at Griffith’s Close, Birmingham, would be signing a plea of guilty to the charges against him. 

On the application of Sergeant John Dineen, Judge David Waters adjourned the case until October 29 for the defendant to be present in Cork District Court to sign the guilty pleas. The case will be sent forward for sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on a date after that.

The defendant was remanded in continuing custody. Xiaochen Han is charged with possession of cannabis, and having the illegal drug for the purpose of sale or supply to others, and having a value exceeding €13,000, the threshold for a 10-year minimum sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

The charges refer to Monday, July 6, at U Store It, Unit 24, Euro Business Park, Little Island, Co Cork.

Detective Garda Derry O’Brien testified originally at Cork District Court there was an objection to bail based on the seriousness of the allegations and the belief by gardaí the accused was a flight risk, with no ties to this jurisdiction.

The detective said the case involved a joint investigation by Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and Revenue and Customs, and the execution of a controlled delivery of the large shipment of cannabis to the unit at the business park in Little Island.

“Gardaí believe he is a flight risk and that he would flee the jurisdiction immediately if granted bail. He has zero ties to the jurisdiction and admitted travelling from the UK to Belfast and to Cork by train. 

"This was to avoid flagging immigration at airports with the Republic as he did not have a visa to be here — he has come to the country illegally,” Det Garda O’Brien said.