Claims Maghaberry Prison officer is key player in organised crime gang

By David Young, Press Association

A prison officer charged with dealing drugs inside a high-security jail is a "key player" in an organised crime gang, a court has been told.

Stephen Brian Martin, 23, was arrested at Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland on Friday after arriving for work with packets containing suspected cocaine, cannabis and diazepam tablets stashed in his boots.

A detective constable told a district judge that he played a central role in a drug trafficking racket both within the prison and outside in the wider community.

"He is a key player in an organised crime gang," said the officer. "Without him this activity couldn't happen within the prison."

Applying for bail at Lisburn Magistrates' Court, Martin's defence lawyer claimed he had been forced into bringing the items into the prison by an inmate who had been threatening him that he knew where he and his girlfriend lived.

"He was in over his head and put under pressure by a prisoner to bring these items in and foolishly he succumbed," the solicitor told the court.

District judge Rosemary Watters rejected the bail bid and remanded Martin into custody. She agreed with the police objections that the accused posed a risk of offending if bailed, and could potentially interfere with the ongoing investigation.

Dressed in a grey three-piece suit, white shirt and blue tie, bearded Martin spoke only twice to confirm his name and that he understood the charges. He sat looking downward during Monday's remand hearing.

The officer faces a total of 16 charges - including possession with intent to supply class A, B and C drugs; conspiracy to supply the same three classes of drugs; misconduct in a public office; and conveying prohibited items into a prison.

He is due to appear before the same court, via video-link, on September 18.