An Irishman accused of masterminding the smuggling of large quantities of heroin from London to Dublin had £106,000 in cash on him when he was arrested, a jury has been told.
At the start of the trial yesterday, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Mr Thomas Mullen (26) was arrested leaving a safe depository in Finchley, north London, on March 14th, 1997.
Police searched the safe deposit box and found a further £90,000 in cash and a number of passports in Mr Mullen's name. The court heard that he had been seen leaving the depository four days earlier with his partner, Ms Alison O'Brien.
It was claimed that, although Mr Mullen had no apparent means of financial support, he lived in an expensive part of Finchley. It was also claimed that he paid almost £7,000 in cash to a letting agency for the property he shared with Ms O'Brien.
Mr Mullen denies one count of conspiracy to export a class A drug.
By analysing his mobile phone calls, police were able to link Mr Mullen to a separate drugs investigation in which a Turkish drug-dealer, Turhan Mustafa, and a prostitute, Catherine Brooks, had already been arrested. In 1996 Mustafa and Brooks both pleaded guilty to smuggling huge quantities of heroin from England to Ireland.
Prosecuting counsel Mr Peter Walsh said Mr Mullen had masterminded the operation. "This defendant was one of the prime movers. He was, and is, a resident of Southern Ireland, and he needed a contact in this country to supply him with heroin. He also needed that person to provide him with a means of getting the heroin from England to Ireland.
"This is where the co-defendant, Mustafa, came into the conspiracy. He was a Turkish man with contacts in the drugs world and he assisted the defendant in obtaining the heroin."
Counsel said that Mustafa had plied Brooks, a prostitute and drug addict, with free heroin so that she would become a courier. "Mustafa set about finding someone who was prepared to carry the heroin. It is something the big players are reluctant to do themselves. They actively search out people to carry the drugs."
Brooks would take the drugs by plane or ferry to Ireland, the court heard. She was arrested on June 12th, 1996, in a taxi on her way to London City Airport carrying almost 1kg of heroin with a street value of £147,000. The jury heard that when police searched her address in Reginald Road, Forest Gate, east London, they found £600,000 worth of heroin hidden in her loft. Mustafa had a key to the premises, it was claimed.
Mustafa was arrested after trying to get into the flat while police searched the premises, the court heard. But, as there was no evidence linking him to the drugs haul, police let him go. They kept his mobile phone, however, and later found Brooks had rung him from Ireland on several occasions. He was arrested in October 1996.
The case continues.