A MAN has gone on trial accused of soliciting two undercover gardaí to travel to Brazil to collect cocaine and bring it back to Ireland.
Sunny Idah (36), Gerard House, Brown Street, London, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two charges of soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine on dates between September 14th and 19th, 2010.
The jury heard that under a law known as the Mutual Assistance Act, the prosecution and defence teams went to Geneva last December where an undercover agent for the Swiss police gave evidence of an operation he had been involved in with An Garda Síochána.
He gave his testimony under an assumed name and behind a one-way mirror so that his identity could be protected.
He gave evidence of alleged email traffic between himself and Mr Idah in the weeks leading up to the offence.
Earlier Colm O’Briain, prosecuting, told the jury that this undercover Swiss operative assumed the identity of a known Lithuanian drug dealer and created an email address for that person.
He later received an email from an Irish address which Mr O’Briain said that the State intends to prove belonged to Mr Idah.
A number of emails passed between the two and counsel said the jury would hear evidence that Mr Idah was attempting to recruit drug mules from the Swiss agent.
He said the Swiss operative suggested two named people who were flying into Dublin on September 14th, 2010.
Mr O’Briain told the jury that the Swiss police then liaised with An Garda Síochána and gardaí were detailed to adopt the identity of these two named men.
The two gardaí left Dublin airport on September 14th and went to the nearby Regency Hotel on the Swords Road where they contacted a mobile phone number that had been given to them by the Swiss police.
Counsel said it was the State’s case that this was Mr Idah’s number and that numerous calls took place between the gardaí and the accused. He said there were also three face-to-face meetings and that these meetings were recorded, the transcripts of which will be read out later in the trial.
Mr O’Briain said the accused went under the name of Timor or Mr T. He told the jury it would hear evidence that Mr Idah had tried to induce the two undercover gardaí to travel to Brazil in order to collect cocaine, which they would swallow as pellets before bringing them back into Ireland.
Counsel said the gardaí were given €200 each and valid tickets for their flights to Brazil.
The transcripts of the hearing in Geneva, which had been translated from French into English, were read into the record.
The jury heard that in this hearing the Swiss operative confirmed to the prosecuting counsel that he had assumed the identity of this Lithuanian man and created an email address edenderry2010@gmail.com.
He said he first received an email from an address nnaiboi12@yahoo.ie from a man who referred to himself as Timor or Mr T in August 2010, a man whom the State alleges is the accused.
Mr O’Briain read the content of the emails to the jury that followed leading up to September 19th, 2010, when the gardaí were supposed to travel to Brazil.
He said in one email it was suggested to the Swiss operative that “his boys” would get “€500 for eating” or “€800 for a bag”.
The agent told counsel in Geneva that the reason for the emails was to find out when Mr T wanted to send the couriers to Brazil. He explained that “his boys” were undercover gardaí who were playing the roles of drug mules and agreed the investigation had been “a joint operation” between Swiss and Irish police.
He also described telephone contact he had with Mr T and agreed that the content of another email supplied details of Aer Lingus flights the undercover gardaí would take.
The trial continues before Judge Desmond Hogan and a jury.