Four men charged in connection with the attempted importation of €31 million worth of cocaine at Courtmacsherry in west Cork last July, have entered pleas of guilty and have been sent forward for sentencing to the Circuit Court.
All four appeared before Bandon District Court, where Judge Joanne Carroll return them for sentencing to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Court commencing on 10 February.
The four men are 40-year-old Mark Doherty of Waterfoot Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland; 31-year-old Levent Gulay of SchwabenstraBe, Neu Ulm, Bavaria, Germany; 44-year-old Christopher Hibbett of Lower Park, Trissillian, Truro, Cornwall, England, and 39-year-old Ben Sandford of Woodgreen, Drumm Road, Keith, Moray, Scotland.
They face five charges each. These include possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale and supply under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
They were also charged with possession of more than €13,000 worth of cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply, and the importation of cocaine.
In addition, Doherty and Gulay were charged with the possession of Motorola and Google phones to commit a criminal offence, while Sandford and Hibbett were charged with possession of a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) in circumstances giving rise to it being used in connection to a drugs trafficking offence.
Sgt Tom Mulcahy said the DPP had consented to all four going forward on signed pleas of guilty to the Circuit Court.
Solicitors for the four applied and were granted free legal aid to cover Senior and Junior Counsels, while an application to cover expenses for translating documents for Gulay - a German national - was also granted.
Judge Carroll issued an alibi warning to all four, telling them that if they were to change their plea and rely on an alibi, the DPP would have to be informed within 14 days of today.
She remanded all four in continuing custody to appear before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on signed pleas of guilty, to the next sitting commencing on 10 February next year.
