Judge: Regulate ‘ready-to-go’ mobile phones

THE use of “ready-to-go” mobile phones must be regulated to help curb the activities of criminal gangs, a leading judge has warned.

Judge Tony Hunt also said he had “great concerns” at the lack of security at the country’s private airports, which allow criminal gangs to bypass public airports and ports.

Judge Hunt was commenting as he sentenced aviation broker and former boxing champ John Kinsella to 12 years — with two suspended — for his role in an “evil conspiracy” to import an estimated €7 million worth of drugs into Ireland.

Kinsella, aged 38, known as The Boxer, used a pre-paid or a ready-to-go phone, bought with a false identity, to conduct his business. He hired a private jet from businessman Jim Mansfield in an attempt to fly 57kg of heroin and 21kg of cocaine from an airport in Belgium into Mr Mansfield’s private Weston Aerodrome in Kildare in September 2006.

Judge Hunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court said it was “very handy to pick up and discard” ready-to-go mobile phones and said it was “about time there was some examination” of it.

He said there needed to be “some level of verification” of details provided by prospective customers. He said such regulation would be a significant contribution to Garda operations.

Figures from ComReg, the communications regulator, suggest there are more than 3.6 million pre-paid mobile phones in the country. A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the issue was currently under review and had been for a number of years. One of the proposals being looked at is a requirement that anyone buying a ready-to-go mobile would have to give their name, address and proof of identity.

However, the department has identified a number of problems with setting up a national register of mobile phone users. These include:

- The ease with which a foreign or stolen SIM card can be used.

- The difficulties that would be posed in verifying identity.

- Data protection issues arising from the development of a register.

Judge Hunt said the sophisticated security systems at the country’s public airports and ports seemed to be of “little point and set to nought” if criminals like Kinsella can bypass them and import large quantities of drugs through private airports.

He said there was a significant case for a review of security at Weston Aerodrome, and others, which were capable of handling small jets and said regulation “should be forthcoming”.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan backed the call and said recent figures from Revenue show Customs officers visited Weston just 18 times in 2007 and 25 times up to August this year.