David Huck, the British businessman who gardai believe organised the smuggling of £20 million worth of drugs into the Republic on the yacht Brime, faces sentencing tomorrow in a British court for a separate drug-running operation.
Huck (51) was one of four men convicted at Exeter Crown Court yesterday of involvement in a plot to smuggle £10 million worth of cannabis resin into Britain.
Huck lived in the Republic until 1993 when he was questioned by gardai about the Brime, as the drug-laden ketch arrived off the Kerry coast. As he could not be linked by gardai to the shipment he was released from custody, after which he left the State.
Earlier this year, the Criminal Assets Bureau sent Huck a tax bill for almost £500,000 and obtained a court order freezing his assets in the State.
Yesterday in Exeter, following a three-month trial, Huck and three associates were convicted of conspiring to smuggle Moroccan cannabis resin into Britain between November 1995 and October 1996.
The drugs were on the yacht Fata Morgana, which was intercepted by British Customs off the coast of Cornwall. David Huck, the skipper, of no fixed address, was arrested at sea with three crew members after the drugs were transferred to another boat. He was convicted yesterday, as were Leslie Jay (36), of Birchgrove Road, Cardiff, a member of the shore party, Richard Allsop (32), of North Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex, and Norman Hitchins (33), of New Road, Harlington, Middlesex.
Five other defendants walked free from the dock when the jury of five men and six women brought in not guilty verdicts on the third day of their deliberations.
The jury was one member short after a woman was taken ill on Friday when the trial was temporarily halted. Judge Sean Overend formally discharged her earlier yesterday and ordered the trial to continue with 11 jurors.
After the verdicts, a woman juror broke down sobbing in the front row of the jury box where she was comforted by another jury member.
The judge praised the jurors for their attention during the lengthy trial and said they need not serve again for the rest of their lives. He said that they could also have the remainder of the week off work - at public expense - if they wished.
The jury had heard the Crown claim that about four tonnes of cannabis resin were transferred from the yacht Fata Morgana to the tug Adherence II - crewed by four undercover Customs men.
But in a force seven gale the 56ton tug sank with its cargo in 13,000 feet of water in the northwest of the Bay of Biscay after the pick-up in October 1996. A container ship rescued the Customs men.
During the trial, the prosecutor, Mr Alun Jenkins QC, said that the cannabis was being awaited by a shore party near Falmouth, Cornwall.
Customs officers used other cannabis resin seized in past operations to make the delivery to the shore party, who were arrested.
Nine defendants had denied conspiracy to smuggle cannabis resin into the UK between November 1995 and October 1996.
Three crew members were formally discharged after not guilty verdicts.
They were Mr Mark Tacey (42), of Bristol, Frenchman Mr Patrice Mayer (36), living in Germany, and Danish national Mr Mads Ole Tvede (34), of Copenhagen.
Two other alleged shore party members were freed: Mr Amarjit Singh (26), of Havershon Street, and Mr Anthony Cole (26), of Constellation Street, Adamstown, both Cardiff. In the dock for sentence tomorrow will be David Bannister (42), of Hereford Street, Gipsyville, and his brother Michael Bannister (38), of Linnaeus Street, both Hull; Paul Davis (44), of Cromer Road, Bristol, and Raymond Gilholm (46), of Westhill, Portishead, Bristol. They had previously admitted the conspiracy charge.
All four were said to be among the gang's administrators, along with Allsop and Hitchins.
Huck had claimed in evidence that he thought he was delivering "duff cannabis". He said thought he was delivering henna - a shrub - in a ruse to help a Dutch friend recover cash after being cheated. Huck said he believed his friend would get his money back after he delivered the fake cannabis. He maintained in evidence that he had checked the unopened bales to find only henna.