Judge slams six-month wait for drug analysis results in Derry court case

A District Judge today said he could understand delays in drug cases if they were ‘a Pablo Escobar type case’. 

The comments came as Judge Ted Magill criticised the length of time it takes PSNI forensic experts to analyse drugs seized in police operations 

Derry Magistrate's Court was told a drugs case involved the prosecution of thirty-one years old Dean Hutton from Ebrington Oaks in the Waterside area of the city.

The defendant is charged with possessing class A and with being concerned in supplying the drug. 

He's also charged with being concerned in supplying class C drugs, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. 

The defendant is alleged to have committed the offences on August 5 of last year.

When the prosecutor said a full file in the case would take up to six months to complete, the District Judge said that wasn't good enough.

"That means it's just somewhere in the ether. Six months, how many officers are involved in this investigation, how many forensic experts are involved in this investigation? There used to be a specialised drugs unit. Three to six months is not fair to anyone and it is not fair to the defendant. I want to know what is the process involved in the investigation.

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"I could understand if it was a Pablo Escobar type case but it's not in this situation. I'm adjourning this case until November 26 and on that date I want a full update", he said.