Five people charged with the unlawful importation of cocaine earlier this month were remanded on continuing custody when they appeared at Kanturk District Court in Co Cork yesterday. They will appear at Cobh District Court next Wednesday.
The cocaine was seized in Cork Harbour at the beginning of the month when a converted trawler - the Sea Mist - which had sailed from Venezuela, was intercepted by armed gardai and officials of the Customs Service.
The five people on remand are: Mr Howard Charles Miller (37), of Cumbria, England; Mr Gordon Richards (52), of Brighton, England; Mr James Noel (51), of St Lucia, West Indies; Mr Roman Smollen (50), of St Lucia; and Ms Theresa Bernadette da Silva (19), of Puerta de la Cruz, Venezuela.