A restaurant manager who police believe is “manipulating and directing others” in a drug supply network in Belfast “and further afield” has been refused bail.
Appearing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court, Michael Yin (44) from Antrim confirmed he understood the five drugs charges against him.
He is alleged to have had cannabis with intent to supply on 2 January this year as well as simple possession of the class B drug and a class A drug on the same date.
He is further alleged to have been concerned in the supply of cannabis between 23 November 2023 to 2 January this year and conspired to supply cannabis from 23 November 2023 until 24 September last year.
It is understood the most recent charges arise after police seized drugs with a potential street value of £75,000 from a vehicle on Crumlin Road in Belfast on Thursday.
In court on Saturday, defence counsel Aileen Smyth challenged the formal police connection to the two supply charges.
During an exchange with an officer it emerged that while two others are in police custody facing drugs charges, a 60-year-old man with whom Yin is alleged to have worked in the operation has been on police bail without charge since September last year.
The officer said it was the police case that Yin “seems to control” the man.
Mobile phone evidence suggested Yin had one personal number and access to dozens of burner phones.
The court heard amongst more than 400 calls between Yin and the 60-year-old over a six month period, very few lasted more than 30 seconds and only one was to Yin’s personal number.
All other calls were to burner phone numbers and the detective highlighted that each time police arrested a suspect or conducted a search operation, “the number changed”.
The officers told the court when officers searched Yin’s home, they uncovered boxes for more than a dozen smart phones and although the defendant had provided two PIN codes to a mobile phone seized on Thursday, neither worked.
Police objected to bail due a fear of further offences as Yin might seek to “recoup the loss” from the cannabis seized and there was a fear that with the data in the phones being “highly encrypted”, his release may facilitate him interfering with the investigation.
The court heard after Yin was arrested on Thursday, he claimed he was transporting the drugs due a debt he owed to someone involved in an organised crime gang.
But the officer said the police case is it is Yin himself “who is a member of the OCG”.
When Ms Smyth asked why the 60-year-old man had not yet been charged, the officer told her “as part of our investigation we wanted to make sure that we got the upper end of this operation”.
“The defendant is involved in the control and supply of drugs in Belfast and further afield and we believe that he is manipulating and directing others to do so,” he said, further alleging Yin “is a crime figure on a Chinese organised crime gang”.
District Judge Amanda Henderson said as “there’s a lot to be triaged…and I would have real concerns about the risk of further offending”, she remanded Yin into custody and the case was adjourned to January 16.