Defendants charged with conspiracy to supply Diazepam identified via Facebook profiles, court hears

Hekim Muslim, aged 33, of Primrose Hill, Leicester, and Shelim Muslim, 26, of Saxby Street, Leicester, both face charges of conspiracy to supply the Class C drug on dates between January 1, 2016, and November 25, 2016. They are also charged with possession of criminal property, while Hekim Muslim is further charged with concealing criminal property, transferring criminal property and entering into an arrangement to acquire criminal property.

Shelim Muslim also faces a charge of entering into an arrangement to acquire criminal property.

At Derry Magistrate’s Court on Monday both men were formally connected to the charges by a PSNI Constable Daly, who told the court that the charges were connected with a much larger investigation, which, she said, had resulted in a number of persons being arrested and charged in this jurisdiction recently.

She told the court that the two defendants were involved in the supply of the drugs in the United Kingdom and in Northern Ireland and that they had been identified via Facebook.

Constable Daly told the court that a number of Facebook profiles had been connected to the defendants.

She said that by clicking on one of the profiles a list of 20 or more prescription drugs, including Diazepam and Tramadol, were presented. When a person clicked on one of the pictures, Constable Daly said, they were directed to bank accounts and when they bought up to £200 worth of drugs, they were offered a further £40 to spend. Customers were also able to enter into a draw via the Facebook profiles, she told the court. She described it as “a very sophisticated enterprise” and said bank statements pointed to large deposits in Derry.

A defence solicitor referred to how both men were born and raised in England and presented no flight list

Neither had criminal convictions and were prepared to put up a surety of £5,000, he said.

He said that as the offence appeared to be internet-based the defendants would be willing to adhere to stringent internet restrictions as part of their bail conditions.

District Judge Barney McElholm, however, refused bail and the defendants were remanded in custody to appear again via videolink on December 22.