It’s believed two men involved with the major drug haul in Cork may have tried to purchase a boat in Killybegs to use in the operation.
Four men appeared in court this morning* charged in connection with the massive drugs haul found on a container ship last week.
They were detained after cocaine worth at least 157 million euro was recovered from the MV Matthew during an multi-agency operation off the Cork coast.
Garda Sargent Paul Wallace said its possible that a suspicious attempt to purchase a boat in Donegal may be linked to last weeks discovery:
*Four men have appeared in court charged in connection with last week’s 157 million euro drugs seizure off the Cork Coast.
There was a heavy Garda presence outside Mallow District Court this morning.
Over 2,200kg of cocaine was seized after the Army Ranger Wing boarded the cargo ship MV Matthew last week.
30-year-old Ukrainian national Mykhailo Gavryk, 48-year-old Dutch citizen Cumali Ozgen, 31-year-old Ukrainian Vitali Vlasoi and 37-year-old Saeid Hassani from Iran, all with addresses outside the state, appeared at Mallow District Court this morning.
They are charged with conspiracy to possess and supply cocaine with a market value of more than 13,000 euro.
Each of the men followed the proceedings via an interpreter.
Vitali Vlasoi’s defence solicitor Joe Cuddigan said he would be making an application to board the MV Matthew ship, while Saeid Hassani’s defence solicitor Don Ryan told the court he would also be making an application to board the ship.
The District Court is precluded from granting bail in this case and Judge Colm Roberts remanded all four men in custody to appear before the court again via video link next Tuesday.
