Sending ‘pure cocaine’ to Limerick has road worth of €105m, court docket informed

A cargo of ‘pure cocaine’ value €21 million which sailed into the port of Foynes, Co Limerick, hidden beneath cabin beds on board a cargo ship, has an estimated road worth to €105 million, a court docket heard at this time.

The 12 bales, containing 308.6 kilos of cocaine packaged in 306 separate packages, had been found on board the Maltese-registered cargo ship, MV Verila, when it docked on the port of Foynes on December 19, 2023.

Bulgarian-born Kamen Petkov, 36, who was certainly one of 18 crew members on board the vessel, appeared at Limerick Circuit Prison Courtroom on Monday for sentencing, after signing a responsible plea to prices of importation of cocaine, possession of cocaine on the market or provide and easy possession of cocaine.

Detective Garda Adrian Cahill, of the Limerick Garda Medicine Unit, testified that the medicine transported, value €21 million, contained “pure cocaine” with a “potential worth of 5 instances that quantity on the road.”

Petkov was approached by port safety at Antonina, Brazil, and requested to load and deal with the very massive consignment of cocaine onto the ship, forward of the journey to Eire, the court docket heard.

The daddy of 1 baby who arrived hid the bullets beneath beds in unoccupied cabins on the ship.

The ship traveled from Brazil to Canada and docked in Foynes on December 19 final yr.

Petkov was instructed to throw the bales of cocaine off the ship and into the Shannon Estuary, at Glin, County Limerick, earlier than the ship docked at Foynes.

In the course of the navigation, Petkov ready the balls for buoyancy by tying them collectively and attaching “life jackets” in addition to a “refined” gentle beacon transmitter that will be adopted by others concerned, mentioned the D Garda Cahill.

When the ship reached the disembarkation level at Hamilton Tower, Glin, Petkov grew to become suspicious and nervous when it appeared that nobody was ready to gather the medicine, and so he hid the bullets in an air-conditioned room on board the ship.

Detective Garda Cahill mentioned that following his arrest, Petkov admitted to being the “organizer” of your complete operation whereas on board the vessel.

“He was concerned in loading the medicine, he had full management of the medicine on the vessel, he was the purpose of contact for others and he was absolutely answerable for directing the operations on board,” Dr Garda Cahill mentioned.

Petkov informed Gardaí he was to be paid €150,000 for transporting cocaine from Brazil to Eire.

Lily Buckley, prosecuting counsel, instructed by State Prosecutor Brendan Gill, mentioned that after the MV Verila landed at Foynes, Irish customs officers “appearing on confidential info” had been boarded the ship with specifically educated sniffer canine, and the canine discovered the cocaine. hidden in an air-conditioned room on board the ship.

When Gardaí examined Petkov’s cell phone they found maps and GPS coordinates exhibiting the disembarkation level at Glin “an space with calm waters, it was strategically chosen”, Dr Garda Cahill added.

Gardaí additionally found Petkov was speaking about medicine through cellphone numbers primarily based in Bolivia and Paraguay.

Petkov’s DNA was matched to a transmitter he had fitted with a battery and connected to his bales of cocaine, Garda Cahill added.

Petkov, a professional electrician, is married, has a toddler and works 5 months straight on cargo ships.

Petkov informed Gardaí he had by no means been concerned in drug trafficking earlier than and that safety employees on the Brazilian port had requested him to “flip a blind eye” to the cocaine cargo, Ms Buckley mentioned.

Ms Buckley mentioned Petkov informed gardaí he did not know the way he was going to be paid, “and he mentioned he was sorry he did not ask for half the fee up entrance”.

Petkov’s lawyer, Mark Nicholas, instructed by legal professional Julianne Kiely, mentioned there was “no proof” that Petkov acquired any fee for worldwide drug trafficking.

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Mr Nicholas mentioned Petkov had a “playing habit” and had collected varied “money owed”, together with €15,000 for jewellery he purchased from a pawnbroker in Bulgaria.

Mr Nicholas mentioned Petkov, who has been on remand since final December, had no earlier convictions and his full confession was “useful” to gardaí.

Gardaí acknowledged that Petkov might have been focused by others who might have identified of his playing habit, which might have left him weak.

Decide Colin Daly remanded Petkov in custody for sentencing tomorrow, Tuesday.