Gardaí are liaising closely with the National Crime Agency in the UK as part of their ongoing investigation into the seizure of €31 million of drugs in west Cork, a court has heard.
Det Garda Gavin Curran of the Garda National Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) said gardaí were continuing to make progress in their investigation into the huge cocaine haul.
Some 440kg of cocaine were seized by gardaí at Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, on July 1st in a Joint Task Force operation which also involved Customs and Excise and the Naval Service.
Two men arrested in Courtmacsherry, and two men arrested at Haulbowline Naval Base after they were detained at sea by the LE William Butler Yeats, were later charged at Bandon District Court.
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Mark Doherty, Levant Gulay, Ben Sandford and Christopher Hibbett were all charged with possession of cocaine, and possession of cocaine for sale or supply, at Meelmane, Courtmacsherry on July 1st.
Judge Joanne Carroll remanded all four in custody to Macroom District Court, where they appeared on Wednesday morning amid tight security, including officers from the Garda Armed Support Unit.
Det Garda Curran said a kilo of the drug had been sent to the Forensic Science Ireland laboratory, which confirmed that it was cocaine, but tests need to be done on further samples.
He said that GNDOCB were liaising the National Crime Agency in the UK to pursue a number of lines of inquiry into the seizure.
“I can’t give you an exact timeline on when a file is going to be ready given the numbers of lines of inquiry, but I can confirm the investigation is ongoing and progress is being made,” he said.
Judge Carroll acknowledged the Garda’s evidence and Sgt Emer O’Connell applied for a continuing remand in custody for all four to appear at Clonakilty District Court on July 15th.
Earlier, solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said that he was not applying for bail for his client Mr Doherty (40), of Waterfoot Avenue, Glasgow, at this point, but he was seeking free legal aid for him.
He submitted a statement of means, saying Mr Doherty was living in a local authority house in Glasgow where he was working as a builder’s labourer and had no funds to pay for his defence.
Judge Carroll said that she would adjourn her decision on free legal aid until the next court sitting to allow gardaí confirm the details that he had filled out in his statement of means.
Mr Taaffe, deputising for Frank Buttimer, said another accused, Mr Sandford (39) of Woodgreen, Drum Road, Keith, Moray, Scotland, was also reserving his position on a bail application.
Solicitor Patrick Goold, deputising for Eddie Burke, said that his client Mr Hibbett (44), of Lower Park, Trissillian, Truro, England, was similarly making no application for bail at this stage.
Solicitor Jack Purcell, deputising for Myra Dineen, said his client Mr Gulay (31) of Schwabeenstrasse, Neu Ulm, Germany, was similarly making no application for bail.
Judge Carroll said in the light of there being no bail applications, she was granting the Garda application and she remanded all four in custody to appear at Clonakilty District Court by video-link on July 15th.
