Four men have pleaded guilty to charges related to the largest seizure of cocaine in Irish history, in which €157 million of the drug was discovered on a ship following an operation involving the Army Ranger wing.
The four accused had been due to go on trial at the Special Criminal Court having earlier this week failed in an attempt to have the charges against them dismissed.
Ukrainian nationals Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (32); Iranian national Soheil Jelveh (51) and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49) appeared before the non-jury court on Thursday and were arraigned on one of three charges against them.
The four accused pleaded guilty that, between September 24th and 26th, 2023, at locations outside the State on board the MV Matthew, a bulk carrier registered in Panama, they had in their possession controlled drugs, namely cocaine, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another and at the time the drug was in their possession the market value of it amounted to €13,000 or more.
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The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine seized from the MV Matthew had an estimated value of more than €157 million. The ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Defence Forces, in September 2023.
The four accused had applied to the Special Criminal Court on January 13th to have the charges against them dismissed.
Sean Guerin SC, for the State, said the four guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions on a full facts basis.
Ms Justice Melanie Greally, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Gráinne Malone, remanded the four defendants in custody until February 24th, when their cases are listed for mention with a view to fixing a sentence date for next term.
Two other defendants, Iranian Saeid Hassani (39) and Filipino Harold Estoesta (31) will stand trial on Monday before the Special Criminal Court in relation to the cocaine seizure.
A seventh man, Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62), with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, was previously arraigned on one of the two charges against him.
He pleaded guilty that on dates between September 21st and 25th, 2023, at a location within the State, he attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another and at the time the drug was in his possession the market value was €13,000 or more.
Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15th and September 23rd, 2023, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that organisation or any of its members.
Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed.
UK national Jamie Harbron has also pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing.
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