An illegal scrapyard operator has been prosecuted in a cross-border operation. Micheal Meegan, of Drumbilla, Skyhill, was sentenced to fines totalling £1,500 plus a £60 Offender levy at Newry Crown Court, NI for two breaches of waste management legislation. Mr Meegan is the first person to be extradited to Northern Ireland by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
More than 55 end-of-life vehicles were found on a site Mr Meegan was renting on Ballsmills Road in Crossmaglen in 2017 and he failed to explain their presence. After establishing that Meegan had no license or authorisation to permit vehicle breaking on the site, NIEA issued a notice to Meegan to cease activity. He was subsequently ordered to remove the waste and supply the relevant paperwork proving its lawful disposal. The paperwork was not submitted, and following a further six site inspections between February 2018 and 4 September 2019 by the NIEA, more ELVs and mechanical waste was discovered accumulating at the site. After three failures to serve court summons, an international arrest warrant was issued for Meegan. He was subsequently detained on 5 January 2024 and returned to NI, where he remained until the trial was heard last week.
The controlled waste found at 75 Ballsmill Road Crossmaglen during the course of the NIEA investigation consisted of up to 100 ELVs which included lorries and heavy plant machinery, cars, tyres, chemical/oil drums, lead acid batteries, vehicle parts and paint cans. Meegan pleaded guilty to two charges related to the unauthorised treating and keeping of controlled waste. He was fined on two counts of £750 each, a total of £1,500 and court costs of £60.
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