One of seven men who was due to go on trial after a raid on a Panamanian cargo ship off the southeast coast resulted in the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history has pleaded guilty to a drugs offence.
Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62), with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk appeared before the non-jury court on Monday, where he was arraigned on one of the two charges against him.
Lapa pleaded guilty that on dates between September 21st and 25th 2023, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, that he attempted to have in his possession a controlled drug, namely cocaine, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the drug to another, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2023, made under section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and at the time when the controlled drug was in his possession, the market value of the controlled drug amounted to €13,000 or more, an indictable offence.
The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, has an estimated value of more than €157 million. The ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023.
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Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15th and September 23rd 2023, both dates inclusive, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members.
Sean Guerin SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told the three-judge court on Monday that the defendant’s guilty plea was acceptable on a full facts basis and “that the other count would be dealt with in the usual way”.
Caroline Latham BL, representing Lapa, asked the non-jury court for a probation report. She said her client was from Ukraine and had no ties to this jurisdiction.
Presiding judge Ms Justice Melanie Greally said it would be premature to order a probation report at this stage and that she wouldn’t initiate the process now but “was not ruling it out as a possibility in the future”.
Ms Justice Greally, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone remanded Lapa in custody until February 24th, when his case is listed for mention.
Regarding the probation report, the judge said she would have a “better idea at that point in time”.
The other six men, who are charged with offences arising from the seizure of the cocaine, applied to the Special Criminal Court on January 13th to have the charges against them dismissed. The hearings before the three-judge court began two weeks ago and the non-jury court will deliver its ruling on Thursday of this week.
The reasons for the application and the substance of the submissions cannot be reported by law.
Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed.
The six men who made the applications are Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (32); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (51), and Saeid Hassani (39); Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49) and Filipino Harold Estoesta (31).
The men are charged with drug trafficking offences at sea contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 1994.
UK national Jamie Harbron has previously pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing.
Harbron (31) of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK pleaded guilty that on a date between September 21st and September 25th, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
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