Two men, including a former Soviet fighter pilot, who flew heroin worth €8.4 million into Dublin on a light aircraft last year, have been sentenced to 10 and eight years in prison.
Aradi Ignac (50), of Kecskemet, Hungary, and Zoltan Nemeth (63), of Sukosd, also Hungary, pleaded guilty to smuggling heroin into Weston Airport on dates between November 28th and December 1st last year.
A further charge against Aradi, of facilitating or enhancing organised crime, was taken into consideration.
In a ruling at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, Judge Elma Duffy set a headline sentence of 13 years for Aradi, imposing an actual term of 10 years.
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[ Two men remanded in custody over €8m heroin seizure at Dublin’s Weston AirportOpens in new window ]
Judge Duffy said Aradi was higher up in what she described as a sophisticated operation, as he had been involved in the planning of bringing a planeload of drugs into Ireland on a light aircraft, “effectively by the back door”.
“It’s clear there was a big operation behind this and he was part of this big operation,” said Judge Duffy.
She set a headline sentence of 10 years for Nemeth, a retired army pilot with 25 years of public service, as she said he may not have been involved in planning and had turned “something of a blind eye” as to what was being transported.
Nemeth told gardaí that he was aware that what they were carrying was illegal, but that he thought it was some kind of prohibited earth or metal material used in the making of microchips.
Judge Duffy said it was “particularly tragic” that Nemeth, who put in many years of public service in the former Soviet Union and Hungary, retiring at the level of major, had found himself engaged in illegal activities.
[ Aircraft and €8m in drugs seized at airport as gardaí target west Dublin gangOpens in new window ]
Both accused have been in custody since their arrest last December where they are on 23-hour lock-up for their own protection, the court heard.
Det Sgt Leo Clayton told Jane Horgan-Jones, prosecuting, that the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau had received confidential information about the scheduled landing of a specific Cessna 210 light aircraft.
Gardaí found 60kg of suspected diamorphine in blocks inside black bags, hidden in the tail of the aircraft.
The haul was analysed by Forensic Science Ireland as comprising 120 packages of heroin, each weighing approximately half a kilo, with a total estimated street value of €8.4 million.
Aradi said he had owned a number of construction companies but had fallen into debt to unnamed, but very dangerous, individuals. He told gardaí he had borrowed about €200,000 but that interest was added to the loan almost every day and he ended up owing €1 billion.
He said he was to have €200,000 cleared from his debt for transporting the drugs.
Nemeth has no previous convictions in any jurisdiction.
Aradi has 10 previous convictions, including theft, criminal damage, fraud, obstructing the operation of public interest and smuggling counterfeit goods.
Det Sgt Clayton agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending Aradi, that he had been mannerly with gardaí and had answered all questions, although he had refused to give details on any third parties involved in the operation as he feared for his family’s safety.
“My family is in danger,” Aradi said, apologising for not being able to say to whom he owed money or where he was to deliver the drugs.
Fiona Murphy SC, defending Nemeth, said he had also answered all questions, co-operated with gardaí and pleaded early.
Counsel said Nemeth had spent a significant portion of his life in public service, initially training as a fighter pilot in the former Soviet Union during the cold war.
He then worked his way back up in the Hungarian military where he served for 25 years and raised five adult children before an amicable divorce, the court heard.
Both sentences were backdated to December 1st last year, when the men went into custody.
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