Man guilty of role in €440m drugs haul
Stephen Brown, 46, and of no fixed abode, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court in London yesterday afternoon of conspiring to smuggle the huge consignment of Colombian-origin cocaine into Britain.
Brown had been extradited to Britain from Spain last April to face the charge connected to the massive drugs haul in 2007.
The court heard that he had organised, along with two other men, for the consignment of more than one-and-a-half tonnes of high-grade cocaine to be smuggled into Britain so it could be distributed among dealers.
The drugs, which originated in the Medellin area of Colombia, was 75% pure.
But instead of reaching its destination in Britain, 62 bales of cocaine ended up bobbing in the water off the West Cork coast in July 2007 when the plan fell apart because of engine failure on one of the transport boats, which then capsized into the sea.
The engine on one of the RIBs being used to transfer the drugs from the ‘Lucky Day’ to the shore cut out after diesel was incorrectly poured into an outboard motor instead of petrol.
The engine cut out and rough sea conditions pitched the contents of the RIB into the water, along with the men on board.
The bales of cocaine were recovered by the Baltimore Lifeboat crew in what turned out to be the country’s largest ever drugs haul.
Martin Wanden, Perry Wharrie and Michael Daly’s brother Joe were sentenced in Cork Circuit Court for their roles in the smuggling operation.
Gerard Hagan, who swam ashore when the RIB capsized on July 2, 2007, was sentenced to 10 years at Cork Circuit Court for his role in the smuggling plot, while Martin Wanden, who had to be airlifted from the sea, received a 30 year sentence, as did Perry Wharrie.
Another gang member, Joe Daly, was jailed for 25 years. Two other men have been jailed in Britain for their roles in the smuggling operation.
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