Man appears on drugs charge

Mr Cunningham attended court with a blanket over his head

A man has appeared in court charged in connection with the seizure of cannabis with an estimated street value of £2.75m in County Down.

The drugs were found during a search of business premises in the Annahilt area of Hillsborough on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 blocks of the drug were hidden in large tins of tomato sauce which had been imported from Spain.

John Cunningham, 63, from Carricknadarriff Road in Annahilt is charged with having cannabis with intent to supply.

The long-distance lorry driver appeared at Lisburn Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The court heard that when charged, Mr Cunningham replied: "That's not quite right - I hadn't drugs in my possession."

During an application for bail, Mr Cunningham's lawyer said his client saw himself as "an unwilling dupe".

The lawyer said this was the fourth consignment Mr Cunningham had received and that he was totally unaware of the content.

A detective confirmed in court that the lorry driver has maintained a "robust denial" of the charges throughout questioning.

The defendant was remanded in custody for week.

He is due to reappear before magistrates on 3 February.