RSF refute drug claims by PSNI

Republican Sinn Fein claimed that ‘a young lad from the Craigavon area who is not a member of our Movement was stopped in the Tullygally area during this large scale search operation and may have been arrested with a small amount of cannabis’,

RSF said it condemned both the raid and the attempts to link the alleged seizure of drugs to Republicans.

“It is in our belief that a state led attempt was aided by a local journalist to blacken the name of Republican Sinn Féin and the Republican Movement,” said the RSF statement.

Police said yesterday they discovered drugs while carrying out searches into dissident republican activity in the Drumbeg area on Wednesday.

Houses and area searches were carried out during what the PSNI said was ‘part of an ongong investigation into violent dissident republican criminality.”

Police said during the searches a small quantity of drugs were uncovered and a man will be reported to the PPS.

A PSNI Craigavon post on Facebook stated: “If you have any information about those involved in drugs/ thuggish dissident activity, you can speak to us any time by calling 101, walking into your nearest station, or calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”