Four men admit to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board MV Matthew

The Panamanian cargo ship was carrying more than €157 million of cocaine when it was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers in September 2023

The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, has an estimated value of more than €157 million. File picture: Denis Minihane

Four men have pleaded guilty before the Special Criminal Court to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board a Panamanian cargo ship after the largest such seizure in Irish history.

The four were due to go on trial having earlier this week failed in a bid to have the charges against them dismissed.

The four men — Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, aged 32 and Vitaliy Vlasoi, aged 32; Iranian Soheil Jelveh, aged 51 and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, aged 49 — appeared before the three-judge court on Thursday morning, where they were each arraigned on one of three charges against them.

The four men pleaded guilty that between September 24 and 26, 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel "MV Matthew", a ship registered in Panama, a Convention state, that they had in their possession controlled drugs, namely cocaine, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the drug to another in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, 2017 to 2023, made under section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 and at the time while the drug was in their possession the market value of the controlled drug amounted to €13,000 or more.

The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, has an estimated value of more than €157 million. The ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023.

The men had applied to the non-jury Special Criminal Court on January 13 to have the charges against them dismissed.

Sean Guerin SC, for the State, said on Thursday that those four guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on a full facts basis.

Ms Justice Melanie Greally, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone, remanded the four defendants in custody until February 24, when their cases are listed for mention with a view to fixing a sentence date for next term.

Remaining defendants

Two other defendants Iranian Saeid Hassani, aged 39, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, aged 31, will stand trial on Monday before the Special Criminal Court arising from the seizure of the cocaine.

Defence counsel for the other two men — Mr Hassani and Mr Estoesta — said their trials were proceeding. Ms Justice Greally listed the two men's trials for Monday morning before the Special Criminal Court. The two men were remanded in custody until then.

A seventh man, Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, aged 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk was previously arraigned on one of the two charges against him.

Lapa pleaded guilty that on dates between September 21 and 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, he attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2023, made under section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and at the time when the controlled drug was in his possession, the market value was €13,000 or more.

Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15 and September 23, 2023, both dates inclusive, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members.

Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed.

UK national Jamie Harbron has also pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing.

Harbron, aged 31, of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK pleaded guilty that on a date between September 21 and September 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.