Four men confirm guilty pleas in €31m West Cork drug-smuggling case

One of the country’s biggest ever drug hauls — the seizure of €31 million worth of cocaine at Courtmacsherry last summer — saw four men confirming their guilty pleas on Tuesday to drug-dealing and importation offences.

The four men from Scotland, England and Germany appeared together in the dock at Courtroom 4 in Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday where each of them in turn confirmed their pleas of guilty to serious drugs charges in respect of the 440 kilos of cocaine.

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, all came to court in custody.

They were further remanded in custody by Judge Helen Boyle for sentencing in May.

Each man pleaded guilty to charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act, including the count of possession of more than €13,000 worth of cocaine for the purpose of sale or supply. The €13,000 figure is the threshold for a possible minimum sentence of 10 years, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and up to life imprisonment.

They also all confessed to importing the cocaine at Meelmane, Courtmacsherry, County Cork, on July 1, 2025.

All four also admitted possession of an article in connection with the commission of a crime on the same day. Mr Doherty and Mr Levent pleaded guilty to possession of mobile phones in connection with the commission of a crime, while Mr Sandford and Mr Hibbett both confessed to possession of a rigid inflatable boat in connection with the commission of a crime.

Judge Boyle remanded them in custody for sentencing on May 12.

Prosecution senior counsel Donal O’Sullivan indicated that because of the scale of the investigation and the offences before the court, the presentation of evidence at the sentencing hearing could take over two hours.

Various reports, including probation or prison governor’s reports, were sought by senior counsel Jane Hyland, Ray Boland, Alice Fawsett and Elizabeth O’Connell, respectively, for defendants, Mark Doherty, Ben Sandford, Christopher Hibbett and Levent Gulay.