Three in court after massive west Cork cocaine haul

Three British men appeared at a special court sitting tonight charged in connection with the massive 1.7 tonne cocaine haul seized from a yacht off the west coast.

The men Philip Doo (aged 52), and David Mufford (aged 44), both from Devon and 42-year-old Christopher Wiggins, who has been living in Spain’s Costa del Sol, were charged with attempting to import the drugs, valued at more than €650m.

The trio were arrested after Irish navy, gardaí and customs swooped on the 60ft ocean-going boat, Dances With Waves, last Wednesday 170 miles off the west Cork coast.

The boat set sail from the Caribbean a month ago and was loaded with 75 bales of cocaine.

Europe’s leading anti-drug trafficking agency Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) , tracked the yacht across the Atlantic before Irish authorities moved in.

After two days questioning garda drugs squad officers charged the men and brought them before the special night sitting of Clonakilty District Court, west Cork.

The court was told all three have addresses in Britain and Spain. Doo’s address was given as Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon; Mufford of Flat 11, Clennon Court, Clennon Lane, Torquay, also Devon; and Wiggins of Apartment 6, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Estepona, Malaga.

All three have been unemployed over recent months and were said to be of very modest means.

They were charged with the same offence under Section 34 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act – possession of drugs with intent to import.

The court heard none of the men spoke when gardaí formally charged them.

State Solicitor, Malachy Boohig, told the court he was objecting to bail for all three defendants and Judge James McNulty remanded them in custody to appear before Kinsale District Court next Thursday.

The record-breaking haul could total 1.7 tonnes and depending on purity it could be worth as much as €700m.

Last year 1.5 tonnes of cocaine valued at €440m washed up on the Cork coast near Mizen Head after an elaborate trafficking scam fell apart.