An attempt to have an Irish drug trafficker's jail sentence doubled began before judges of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal yesterday. The Public Prosecutor asked the court to increase to four years a two-year sentence imposed on Sean O'Flynn last December.
O'Flynn (49) of Arigadeen Lawn, Togher, Cork, was convicted of trafficking in 25,000 ecstasy tablets, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Utrecht Court.
O'Flynn told the court yesterday that he came to the Netherlands on August 9th last year hoping to find a job in the offshore oil industry. He said he had agreed foolishly to collect a sports bag for an acquaintance outside an Amsterdam cafe.
The court president, Mr C. Streefkerk, said they had some difficulty believing that he had no prior knowledge of the bag's contents - ecstasy tablets worth half a million guilders (nearly £170,000). O'Flynn replied: "I was a small time `gofer'; I was just to pick them up." an referred to in tapped phone calls, or in an electronic notebook taken from a Dutch co-accused.
man by police. According to the notes seized by police here O'Flynn arrived in the Netherlands last August carrying 132,500 guilders( nearly 35,000 pounds) and put in an order for 30,000 E tablets with Dutch suppliers. An accomplice also wrote in the notebook that O'Flynn wanted "transport for the drugs this time but wants to get his own van for transport so as to control everything himself and do it cheaper".
The Irishman told the three Judge Appeals Court: "I know nothing about it" concerning the notes allegedly referring to him adding that Irish reports at the time of his arrest that he was in possession of over 100,000 E tablets, or that he was arrested by a special Police team and held in a High Security Dutch jail were "all false" .
His lawyer, Ms Benedicte Ficq, said that Irish media reports and her client's difficult personal circumstances had put him under extreme psychological pressure. He was not prepared to say anything in defence of himself while an Irish media representative was present in court. After a short recess Judge Streefkerk ruled that the press representative be asked to leave. The judges will give their verdict on July 1st.