Two men appear in court following seizure of €32.8m worth of drugs in Cork Port

TWO men have appeared before a special sitting of Tralee District Court charged with what the court heard was the highest level ever of methylamphetamine ever detected in the State with a value of €32.8 million.

Both men have been remanded in custody by Judge David Waters.

The men appeared separately. Large crowds surrounded the court on Ashe Street chasing the garda vans into the back of the court house as they arrived. Shouting could be heard in the body of the court.

Nathan McDonnell aged 43 of Ballyroe, Tralee, is charged that on October 27 2023 to February 12 2024 at Ballyseedy Garden Centre Tralee he had in his possession methylamphetamine for sale or supply in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and at the time while the drug was in his possession the market value was €13,000 or more.

The charge is contrary to Section 15a of the Misuse of Drugs Acts.

Detective Sergeant Thomas Griffin of Listowel Gardaí gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution at Castleisland Garda Station on Friday.

Mr McDonnell replied: ”Not guilty”.

Meanwhile, James Leen aged 41 of Pilgrim Hill, Kilmorna, Listowel is charged with the same offence.

He is further charged that on October 16 2023 at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, he did import methylamphetamine with a value of over €13,000 contrary to Section 15 (b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Sergeant David Howard gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution earlier on Friday.

Mr Leen made no reply to each charge.

Both men were remanded in custody to appear via video link on February 28 in Tralee District Court.

Bail applications are being lodged in the High Court in the case of both accused their respective solicitors Padraig O’Connell for Mr McDonnell and Pat Mann for Mr Leen said.

Sergeant Stephen O’Brien, prosecuting, said the States application was for remand in custody to February 28.

Padraig O’Connell Solicitor for Mr McDonnell said his application was for bail.

Sgt Thomas Griffin, objecting to bail for Mr McDonnell, said Gardai were objecting under Section 2 of the Bail Act and The O'Callaghan Rules.

On the evening of February 15 last arising from information gathered by the Kerry Divisional Drugs Unit, a container was examined by Customs Officers at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy. The container was purported to contain an electromagnetic metal separator machine for export to Australia. Upon being examined a sophisticated concealment was found within containing approximately 543 kg of Methamphetamine, the sergeant said.

The next morning Gardaí carried out search operations at various locations throughout Counties Cork and Kerry. Nathan McDonnell was arrested for an offence under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act - commission of a serious offence for the enhancement and benefit of an Organised Crime Gang at Ballyseedy Garden Centre and subsequently detained for seven days.

'LARGEST RECORDED'

‘The seizure of the 543 kg of Methamphetamine - otherwise known as Crystal Meth - is the largest recorded and has a street value of €32.8 million,’ Sgt Griffin said.

Further serious charges may be sought from the DPP in relation to this incident, he also said, and an application for an appropriate venue may be sought.

The sergeant also referred to strength of forensics, and CCTV of excellent quality to do with loading the machine into a container for transport to the port of Cork on the 12th February.

Messages on his mobile phone showed that he obtained an innocent party’s details in Australia to receive the shipment and that he offered to pay €5,000 for these details.

Gardai had also identified emails relating to the importation, delivery and forward shipping of the machine.

Nathan McDonnell had admitted to Gardai that he was storing the machine at Ballyseedy Garda Centre and was to be paid Euro 150,000 for his part in the operation.

‘Nathan McDonnell had significant means which would allow him to flee the jurisdiction,’ Sgt Griffin said.

Prior to his arrest on February 16 he was the director of eleven companies with a turnover of between €4.5 million and €5 million.

‘He has informed Gardaí that he has relinquished control of these companies and they are being liquidated and this reduces his ties to this jurisdiction,’ the garda told the court.

The Organised Crime Group responsible were highly proficient, sophisticated, organised and resourced, he also said.

The machine intercepted was purpose built for the concealment and the manner of packaging made it almost impossible to detect.

Under cross-examination by Padraig O’Connell Solicitor, said his client had no previous convictions and was a family man with a young family whose permanent residence was Tralee.

‘Ballyseedy is not his business but a company business,’ Mr O’Connell put it to Sgt Griffin.

The garda said Nathan McDonnell was ‘a 99 per cent shareholder’ and he was ceo of the business.

Asked about analysis, the drug had been analysed and determined by the Forensic Science Laboratory, Sgt Griffin said, handing a copy of the certificate to the lawyer.

Mr O’Connell also put it to the garda that his client had made ‘absolutely no admission’.

He admitted the machine was stored in his yard, the garda replied.

‘The machine isn’t the drug,’ Mr O’Connell said.

There was a question about the legality of the machine, the garda said.

However his client was not in court for any machine, but for a single Section 15 charge, the solicitor said.

‘He steadfastly denies any knowledge of storage of drugs in this machine,’ Mr O’Connell said.

In summary Mr O'Connell said his client had no previous convictions, had made no admissions and had denied any knowledge of the drugs and was entitled to the presumption of innocence. His family and extended family lived in Tralee. He would be willing to meet curfew and other conditions.

However Judge David Waters said he had direct evidence he was relinquishing his business ties and he was to be paid  €150,000.

He refused bail, referring to the high value of the seizure and that he was a man of considerable means.

Gardai also objected to bail in the case of James Leen, the second accused man.

Sergeant Davide Howard said the drugs had travelled from Mexico in October 2023.

James Leen was operating as part of a transnational senior logistics figure operating and liaising with global Organised Crime Organisation. He had been arrested at Arabella Ballymacelligott, Tralee.

There was extensive mobile phone evidence and high quality CCTV footage.

James Leen was ‘highly involved in upper tiers of transnational drug trafficking’ Sgt Howard said.

He was also a serious flight risk.

In 2023 alone he had travelled to countries including the UK, Dubai, Romania, China, Brazil, Colombia, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.

He had made numerous regular visits to countries some of which had no extradition agreements with this country.

He was more than capable of fleeing the jurisdiction.

Pat Mann solicitor put it to Sgt Howard that gardaí had his client’s passport.

Mr Mann also said his client had ‘made no comment at any stage’ over the seven days of his detention.

‘My client denies absolutely and totally he is involved in any of these matters alleged,’ Mr Mann said.

A lot of the information was of a highly speculative nature, not backed up by anything except garda opinion, the solicitor also said.

Judge Waters refused bail referring to the seriousness of the charge and the possible sentence on conviction. He also referred to the possibility Mr Leen was a flight risk given the number of countries he had travelled to in 2023 alone.

The court heard that if convicted both men were facing possible life in prison.

They are both remanded to February 28 to appear again in Tralee by video link.

A crowd of several hundred gathered in Ashe Street and there were crowded and dramatic scenes as the garda vans arrived. Armed gardaí were on duty and there was a huge garda as well as media presence.