Tralee District Court has heard the Irish Defence Forces had to conduct testing on substances seized during a meth lab bust in Killarney in October.
The information came to light during a renewed bail application by Anna Entrambasaguas of Knocknasartnett, Killarney this morning.
The mother-of-one, in her 40s, faces seven charges arising from a garda raid at her address in October, during which a number of items were seized.
She was previously refused bail in the district court and High Court, but was entitled to apply again as she has spent four months in custody.
Ms Entrambasaguas is accused of the possession of crystal meth for sale or supply, the possession of forged driving licences, and a machine designed for making fake IDs.
The court previously heard she allegedly had all the items required for a meth lab in her home.
The state again objected to bail due to the seriousness of the charges, and Garda Ger O’Sullivan told the court that Forensic Science Ireland had recently sent back the results of further analysis from items seized from her shed, which confirmed the presence of methylamphetamine in liquid form.
Garda O’Sullivan said the estimated value of this is around €6,000, which is in addition to the meth already analysed – he confirmed more charges will be brought in respect of this latest analysis.
He said unknown liquids and granules inside drums in her shed were seized, which ultimately led gardaí to request help from the Defence Forces, who came to Killarney to conduct a field test to ensure the materials were safe to travel, before they could be sent to FSI for analysis.
He said gardaí have strong evidence through forensic examinations, witness statements, and garda observations, while they believe Ms Entrambasaguas is a flight risk who can disguise her identity.
Gardaí believe she would commit serious offences if released on bail, and that she is a drug addict who is heavily involved in the production of meth in this country.
Garda O’Sullivan confirmed under cross examination that it will take some time before DPP directions and the book of evidence will be ready in this case.
Due to how unusual the items seized are, they have to be analysed by the chemical section rather than drugs section of FSI.
Ms Entrambasaguas’ solicitor Brendan Ahern submitted there were conditions Judge Waters could attach to bail to alleviate garda concerns, such as signing on at a garda station, surrendering travel documents, and residing at a new address which had been furnished.
Judge Waters refused bail, and remanded her in continuing custody to April 2nd.
