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Two men and a 16-year-old boy appeared in Naas District Court on Wednesday after cannabis worth an alleged €1m was found at two Co Kildare locations on Tuesday.
Alan McCabe (33), of Ballyshannon Road, Kilmore West, Dublin is alleged to have had cannabis in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply on November 3rd at Junction 12 on the M7 northbound.
Khac Quang Nguyen (23), of no fixed abode, is being prosecuted for possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply at Ballysax, Curragh, on November 3rd. A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is facing the same charge.
Det Garda Ian Sheedy told of allegedly finding 10 kilograms of cannabis herb with an estimated value of €200,000 when he stopped Mr McCabe driving a van, as a result of an intelligence-led operation.
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He said Mr McCabe was the sole occupant of the van.
He said a second person pulled in close by and both vehicles were driven in convoy to Ballysax and then back towards Junction 12.
Some 1,000 cannabis plants with an alleged estimated value of €800,000 were found in Ballysax, where two more arrests were made.
The court heard that Mr McCabe has no previous convictions.
However, Garda Sheedy objected to bail citing the seriousness of the charges.
Det Gda Donal Donoghue gave evidence of arresting Khac Quang Nguyen at Ballysax shortly after noon on Tuesday.
He said it would be alleged the defendant was working at the location “assisting in growing the plants.” He has been in Ireland since 2015.
When the defendant was charged on Wednesday, he made no reply after caution.
Sgt Hugh McInerney said when charged, the 16-year-old replied “I didn’t know what plant it was” and “I didn’t know it was cannabis. They forced me to grow that plant. If I didn’t do it they would hit me.”
A Vietnamese interpreter addressed the court on behalf of the latter two defendants.
Sgt McInerney said he was satisfied the teenager is not registered in this country and he provided the name of a town and province in Vietnam as his original home.
Solicitor David Gibbons said the 16-year-old speaks no English and told gardai he had been snatched from his village in south Vietnam.
There is no record of the teen’s identity in Ireland, the court heard, and a peace commissioner was present in court as a responsible adult, on his behalf.
The court also heard that Interpol is conducting inquiries to establish his identity.
All three were remanded in custody for a week after Judge Desmond Zaidan said the objections to bail for Mr McCabe were sustainable in law and the allegations are very serious.