A week ago in West Cork, ten individuals were detained by the police and have since been held in custody on charges of plots to import illicit substances into Ireland. The arrests took place in the close-by locales of Tragumna, near Skibbereen, and Leap village. These ten suspects were produced in court across three separate sessions on Thursday.
Four men appeared in Bandon District Court, another group of four was in Cork District Court, while the remaining two were presented at Midleton District Court. They were all charged with a violation of Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.
Included among the suspects are Ali Mazidi (46) and Kumaars Ghabiri (55), both of Iranian descent and residing in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Other accused individuals hail from Serbia, such as Alexander Milic (36) with an address in Belgrade, and Sean Curran (37) from Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
Spanish nationals Antonio Gallarzo Barrofo (55), alias Juan Antonio Gallardo, Raul Taberes (48) from Cadiz, and four other individuals from Malaga – namely Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz (43), Pedro Padio Ojeda Ortega (34), Angel Serran Padilla (39), and Anuar Rahui (41) were also among the accused.
The primary allegation against these individuals is their involvement in a plot with the other named individuals to import drugs worth more than €13,000 between February 27th and March 14th. This offence contravenes Section 15B (1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 as well as Section 71 (1) (a) (4) of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 as revised by Section 4 (b) of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023.
In Bandon District Court, Detective Garda Shannon Ryan produced evidence of Mazidi’s arrest, charge and caution. The court learned that Mazidi, a self-employed coffee distributor earning €400 per month, responded to his caution with “Yes, what you tell me”.
At Bandon, evidence of the arrest, charge, and caution of Mr Sanz was presented by Detective Garda Sean O’Connor. No response was given by Mr Sanz following his caution. In a similar manner, Mr Curran, a truck driver, did not respond after being charged and cautioned, as informed by Detective Garda Catherine McCarthy.
Another case was that of Mr Ghabiri, who is employed as a chef in a Rotterdam restaurant. Detective Garda Eoin Concannon served as the witness of his arrest, charge, and caution, and Mr Ghabiri, like the others, gave no response.
Judge James McNulty observed that bail was not an option at the district court level for the charges in question. As such, all four were ordered into custody, with their next court appearance due at Bantry District Court the following Wednesday. The judge granted all four freely provided legal aid and appointed solicitors Plunkett Taaffe, Flor Murphy, and Myra Dineen to handle their respective cases.
Furthermore, a different set of four defendants were indicted at Cork District Court. Mr Padilla, upon being charged and cautioned, said ‘OK’, as informed by Detective Garda Kate Gilligan. No response was received from Mr Ortega after he was charged and cautioned, Det Garda Mark Donovan added.
The same was the case for Mr Tabares, who was arrested, charged and cautioned without offering any response. This was indicated by Det Garda Robbie Kennedy. Det Garda Dermot Crowley shared that Mr Rahui, too, remained silent after being charged and cautioned.
Judge Mary Dorgan approved Sgt Gearoid Davis’s request to retain all four in custody until their Cork District Court trial on March 27th. Solicitors Eddie Burke and Frank Buttimer were tasked with representing Mr Padilla, Mr Ortega, Mr Tabares, and Mr Rahui pro bono.
At Midleton District Court, Alexsander Milic and Antonio Gallardo Barroffo, also going by the name Juan Antonio Gallardo, were also present. Detective Garda Brendan McGarry stated that Mr Milic remained quiet after his caution and charge, whilst Det Garda Anthony Finn reported that Mr Gallardo said in response to his charge and caution: “I don’t belong to any criminal organisation, and I have never taken part in drug smuggling.”
Sergeant Major Majella O’Sullivan stated her desire for a detainment remand. Both suspects were placed under custody by Judge Colm Roberts to reappear at Mallow District Court, through a video conference, on the 26th of March.
Moreover, Judge Roberts authorised state-funded legal aid to both accused and appointed David O’Meara as their representative, adding the provision to cover Mr O’Meara’s presence at two distinct court proceedings in Bandon on March 15th and March 18th, during which the period of the men’s incarceration was prolonged.