A criminal group suspected of attempting to smuggle cocaine into West Cork is currently under investigation by Gardaí. Operations include search actions in two Dublin properties and the solicitation of PSNI assistance to investigate a business property in Northern Ireland. Chief Superintendent Vincent O’Sullivan revealed these developments during a unique meeting at the Bandon District Court on Monday night. His objective was to request a 48-hour extension on the detainment of the ten suspects in custody under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The court initially heard Inspector John O’Connell’s request for the judge, James McNulty, to sanction a ban on publishing specific application details. The gardaí believed public disclosure might jeopardise future operational stages of their ongoing investigation. However, Judge McNulty was reluctant to forbid the media from reporting on this case. Instead, he opted to read the sensitive portions himself, allowing Chief Superintendent O’Sullivan to verify their correctness internally.
Chief Superintendent O’Sullivan further informed the court that the gardaí required additional time to interrogate their suspects following the new searches, which yielded an additional 31 electronic devices. These devices, including mobile phones and SIM cards, needed data extraction to be used in the questioning. Certain phones could be directly linked to the suspects, while others lacked an identifiable owner. Although some detainees provided their PIN codes willingly, others did not. This situation has complicated information retrieval from the devices, hence the need for extended detention.
The gardaí have also confiscated several Iridium Satellite phones. This particular device has necessitated contacting US specialists for assistance in retrieving stored data, further impacting the timeframe for the suspect interviews.
Chief Superintendent O’Sullivan disclosed that the police have secured a total of 450 hours of surveillance recordings. These tapes will be scoured meticulously in order to discern individuals’ movements and potential involvement. This evidence will then be presented to the persons in custody at five distinct police stations across Ireland.
Superintendent O’Sullivan indicated that the police have many vehicles of interest in their investigation, inclusive of a Zephyr camper van, Land Rover Discovery jeep, and a large lorry apprehended in west Cork. Additional investigation is required, leading to cooperation with police forces in several other countries including PSNI, Scotland, France, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands. Hence, it is necessary to allocate more time to relay the acquired information to the suspects, elaborated Superintendent O’Sullivan.
Earlier, Plunkett Taaffe, a defence lawyer acting on behalf of a 48-year-old client of Dutch nationality and Iranian origin, took umbrage at what he classified as “overwhelming media attention”. Taaffe is anxious that the media spotlight may lead to bias against his client.
According to Taaffe, the case has provoked an immense response in the media with speculations about drug links valued in the billions of euros and ties to Hizbullah, which could taint potential jurors. He added that the individuals under investigation have not been officially charged. Superintendent O’Sullivan confirmed that during the initial hearing, he made no mention of any drug-related information or any connections to Middle Eastern terrorist organisations.
The presiding judge, an avowedly well-informed news reader, did not agree with the claims of “overwhelming media attention”. Furthermore, he did not perceive any bias emanating from the media. He enlightened that the case was still far from being adjudicated before a jury. However, if such worries persist if trials proceed, he guaranteed the trial judge would issue an appropriate caution to the jury.
Subsequently, the request for extended custody to facilitate continuing interrogations of all suspects was granted. The remand is till Thursday morning at the police stations located at Bantry and Bandon in western Cork, Togher, Bridewell in Cork City and Mallow in Northern Cork.
Last Thursday, ten individuals were apprehended; four near Skibbereen at Tragumna and the remaining six in Leap village where police intercepted a camper van with UK registration. The police deduce they were present in the area to accumulate narcotics, meant to be unloaded off the west Cork coast.