Courts

Two men arrested over major drugs find in Cork detained for further 72 hours

‘Considerable body’ of film footage and other evidence must be put to solicitor’s client, judge says

Two men arrested in connection with a major drugs find in Cork were brought before the District Court. Photograph Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times
Two men arrested in connection with a major drugs find in Cork were brought before the District Court. Photograph Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times
Anne Lucey
Sun Feb 18 2024 - 10:46

Two men arrested and being questioned in connection with a major drugs find in Cork were brought before a special sitting of the District Court in Kerry on Saturday where the State applied for an extension to their period of detention.

The men, who have been detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, were brought into the court separately, and the applications were dealt with separately. Both were represented by their solicitors.

An application by chief superintendent to remove the media was refused, but reporting restrictions not to identify the men, who have not been charged but are under arrest, were imposed.

There was a very heavy Garda presence with plainclothes gardaí as well as uniformed gardaí.

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In the first application, the written information was handed into court, and the judge read it silently for several minutes.

Solicitor Padraig O’Connell said he was formally objecting to the detention, describing information in the document as “speculative, open to interpretation and not factual”.

Judge McNulty said he was satisfied the chief superintendent comprehensively and in detail set out the possible involvement of Mr O’Connell’s client in the events that have given rise to this investigation.

The court also notes a considerable body of film footage and other evidence that should be put to Mr O’Connell’s client, the judge said.

A 72-hour extension to the detention seemed reasonable and was granted, the judge said.

The first man was taken from the court and before the second man was brought in.

Pat Mann, solicitor, represented the second man, also formally objected to the application for detention. Judge McNulty granted this order too, also for 72 hours from Sunday morning.

The men were brought separately in two vans and were led away separately.

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