Antrim postman Philip Dalton who claims he was forced to grow drugs by UDA admits offences

Standing in the dock of Antrim Crown Court on Wednesday, Philip Dalton (49) entered guilty pleas to four of the six charges against him.

Dalton, of Millhouse Road in Antrim, admitted charges of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, cultivating the class B drug and possessing cocaine on February 10 this year.

The postman also confessed to interfering with mail between November 2023 and February 10 this year “while being a person engaged in the business of a postal operator”.

Following his confessions, prosecuting counsel Catherine Chasemore asked for two further charges — possession of cannabis, and stealing post belonging to Royal Mail — to be marked as “left on the books”.

When Dalton was charged, a police officer outlined how he claimed that masked men, carrying baseball bats, called at his home and, after warning him about his drug debts, they “set up drug paraphernalia”, including grow tents, plant pots, deal bags and scales.

The detective told the court how police had searched the postman’s address and seized plants with an estimated street value of £225,000, as well as a list of numbers and names.

The search also uncovered a small amount of cocaine and around 100 items of undelivered mail, mainly letters.

He told the court that during police interviews Dalton had made admissions to possessing and supplying cannabis, claiming that he had been “under duress” after balaclava-clad paramilitaries had come to his house and told him he would receive a delivery a few days later.

Dalton, who admitted he was addicted to cannabis and cocaine and had a drug debt, said he had “tended to the plants” until the gang came back and collected the cannabis.

A cop said: “I believe it would be the North Antrim UDA. There’s a faction in Ballymena.”

The postman also told police he had brought mail home because his workload had grown and he hadn’t enough working hours to carry out deliveries.

The officer said many of the letters had been opened.

Judge Fiona Bagnall released Dalton on continuing bail and said she would pass sentence on November 27.