A 50-year-old man described as the captain of the MV Matthew has appeared before the district court in Wexford charged in connection with last week's seizure of cocaine on board the bulk carrier.
Soheil Jelveh, an Iranian national, is facing three charges.
He was remanded in custody for a week after an application for bail was refused.
Mr Jelveh was brought to the district court in Wexford this morning under garda escort.
He is the third person to be charged in connection with last week's record seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on board the MV Matthew.
He is facing three charges: importation of cocaine into the State where the value of the drugs was more than €13,000, possession of cocaine, and possession of cocaine for sale or supply.
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Detective Garda Liam Mangan of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution.
He said he arrested Mr Jelveh at Wexford Garda Station yesterday afternoon and that Mr Jelveh made no reply when the charges were read to him.
Defence solicitor Lana Doherty applied for bail on Mr Jelveh's behalf.
Detective Garda Mangan outlined a number of grounds on which gardaí objected to bail.
Judge John Cheatle said the allegations were so serious and Mr Jelveh's links to the jurisdiction were so tenuous that bail was rendered impossible in his opinion.
Detective Garda Mangan said Mr Jelveh was an Iranian national.
He said he was captain of the MV Matthew and had been airlifted from the bulk carrier when a request for urgent medical assistance was issued from the ship.
He was brought to University Hospital Waterford and was later arrested by gardaí.
Detective Garda Mangan said Mr Jelveh's family were based in Dubai.
Ms Doherty said Mr Jelveh was a ship's captain for more than 20 years and had a clean record.
She asked the court to grant him bail if a lodgement was made to the court.
Judge Cheatle remanded Mr Jelveh in custody.
Ms Doherty also asked that Mr Jelveh would be granted protection in prison.
At the same court, 31-year old Jamie Harbron from Stockton-on-Tees in the UK and 60-year old Vitaliy Lapa, who is from Ukraine, both of whom are also charged in connection with the same garda investigation, were remanded in custody for a fortnight when they were brought before the court via video link.
