A court in Amsterdam has remanded the Dublin criminal John Cunningham in continuing custody on charges of smuggling drugs and weapons. His trial has been fixed for the 5 October. Dutch prosecutors allege that Cunningham masterminded the shipment of a consignment of semi-automatic weapons in November 1998, which were discovered by Gardaí in Castleblayney. It is alleged that other arms were found at his home on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Prosecutors also allege that he organised the trafficking of ecstasy tablets discovered by Irish customs officers at Rosslare, and others which were intercepted by Belgian police.
John Cunningham was arrested in Amsterdam in a series of raids that were part of a joint operation by the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Dutch police. Arrested with him were two Englishmen, Colin Wills and 72-year-old Thomas Willis. A Dutch national, Franz Lutter, was also arrested. All four were charged with possession of 1,000 kg of cannabis, 100,000 ecstasy tablets, 50 kg of amphetamine sulphate and a number of semi-automatic weapons.
They were also charged with trafficking 1,000 kg of cannabis in an earlier operation. At a remand hearing in June, magistrates separated Mr Cunningham's case from the other three accused as the case was complex and needed more time to prepare. The full trial of the other three takes place today.
