Gardaí granted further period of detention in case of two men arrested in connection with €33m Port of Cork seizure

A further period of detention has been granted to gardaí in Kerry in the case of two men arrested on Friday in connection with an estimated 33 million euro of a synthetic drugs found in a container in the Port of Cork.

The men are being held under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. 

The men were brought separately under heavy security before an early sitting of Tralee District Court this morning where Chief Supt Padraic Powell of the Kerry Division applied for an extension of their detention for 48 hours from this morning.

A preliminary application to « remove » the media was made by Supt Powell. This was an ongoing investigation, he said. Judge Waters refused but did place restrictions on identifying the two individuals for now.

The media were also excluded briefly while a highly sensitive paragraph of the basis for the application was being read out and examined.

No evidence from the hour and a half sitting can be reported under the Act.

Solicitor Padraig O’Connell, for the first man « trenchantly and formally » opposed the application for detention. Barrister Richard Liston, instructed by Pat Mann and Cashell Solicitors were for the second man In both applications, Judge Waters said he was satisfied that the Chief Supt had met the two tests of the application- he had outlined the necessity for further detention; he was also satisfied the investigation was being conducted « diligently and expeditiously » in accordance with the terms of the Act. Judge Waters granted the orders for both extensions.

In advance of the 9am sitting, the southern end of Ashe Street in Tralee Town centre was cordoned off and gardaí diverted traffic; the main doors of Tralee Court House closed and armed gardaí stood guard in the well of the building and at the entrance to District Court number one.

By 19.30 am, a large crowd of onlookers gathered and there was a large media presence as the men were led away in the southwest.

The men can now be detained until mid morning Friday. There can be no further periods of detention. The men must be charged or released at that stage.