A detective told a jury his informant acted "dishonestly" with him by importing more than £1 million worth of drugs on a trip from Amsterdam in 1995.
Det Sgt Denis Palmer said he thought he was meeting Mr Dec lan Griffin at Dublin Airport to receive information about another unrelated drug matter. He said: "If he brought drugs into Dublin and I had not cleared it with my superior it would be in breach of everything that I ever stood for in 20 years".
He agreed with Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, he had said in a report he was not aware whether Mr Griffin "had made a statement or attempted to make exculpatory verbal statements, but in view of his obvious dishonesty it would not surprise me if he had attempted to vindicate himself".
Det Sgt Palmer told Mr Hart nett he stated this after a Customs officer, Mr Seamus Mac an Rid ire, informed him Mr Griffin was found in possession of the drugs but denied he owned the luggage.
He denied a further suggestion that the reference to "vindicate himself" meant he was aware at some stage that Mr Griffin was going to "spill the beans" about this Garda operation unless this case was dropped against him.
Mr Griffin (29), Bunratty Road, Coolock, has pleaded not guilty to six charges of possession of heroin and ecstasy for sale and supply and importing heroin and ecstasy at Dublin Airport on December 20th, 1995. The drugs consisted of 2,999.4 grams of heroin and 2,056 tablets of ecstasy, which were in four packages recovered from luggage collected by the accused at the airport on his return from a trip to Amsterdam.
Det Sgt Palmer agreed with Mr Hartnett he had "struck out" a number of charges that Mr Griffin had been arrested for on foot of warrants on his return from England in 1993. He had spoken to other detectives and they agreed there was "insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution" and to "drop" the charges in exchange for "information".
He said he acknowledged he was wrong not to have contacted the DPP after Mr Hartnett reminded him that it was the DPP's function and not his to strike out charges. He told Mr Hartnett four phone calls made to the Customs office were nothing to do with Mr Griffin but to arrange to have coffee with Mr Mac an Ridire.
He did not agree with Mr Hartnett's assertion that the calls were so "out of the ordinary" that the Customs had made a "sweep of the airport looking for gardai".
Asked why he did not knock at Mr Mac an Ridire's office positioned less than 10 yards away, he said he had tried to phone. He denied the suggestion he was at the airport surveying the Customs office and that he "high-tailed" it from the airport.
The trial continues today.