Heavy garda presence as seven sent forward to non-jury court on drug conspiracy charges
All seven are facing the same charge that is they conspired with each other inside and outside the State to import drugs valued at more than €13,000 to the State between December 18, 2024 and January 15, 2025.
The charges and trial are a result of an operation involving the Kerry Divisional Drugs Unit and and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. All seven were arrested on board ships in Kerry and Clare earlier this year.
They all appeared before Tralee District Court on Wednesday for the book of evidence to be be served and now all seven will face trial at the Special Criminal Court. Read more Prisoner suffers scald injuries to face after attack by inmate, court told
State solicitor Diane Reidy, told Tralee District Court the DPP had consented for each defendant to be sent to a special sitting of a Special Criminal Court.
Three of the men are Filipinos and they appeared before Tralee District Court this morning, Wednesday, June 17.
Hanz Panaghin, who is represented by Darragh Hassett, was granted legal aid and the court heard there was no application for bail. Mr Panaghin has been in custody since January of this year, the court heard.
Conor Costello at Killarney District Court following his arrest. Photo by Tatyana McGough.
Christopher Ampo is also represented by Mr Hassett and he was also granted legal aid.
Feljon Lao, also a Filipino, and who is represented by solicitor Padraig O'Connell, has also been sent forward for trial. Mr O'Connell said he would not be applying for bail as it could not be done in the District Court and he indicated his client would not be pleading guilty.
The book of evidence is to be translated to Filipino for all three defendants, the court was told.
Gary Monks who is originally from Amulree Place, Glasgow, is also facing the same charge and has been sent forward for trial. He was represented by Barrister Conall Towe.
Ryan Watson, with an address formerly of Mailerbeg Gardens, Modiesburn, Glasgow was also granted legal aid. Solicitor Brendan Ahern represented him for this court appearance on behalf of solicitor Simon Fleming.
Feljon Lao at Killarney courthouse following his arrrest. Photo by Tatyana McGough
Miljan Koprivica, formerly of Bolin Drive, Manchester is represented by solicitor Pat Mann and has also been granted legal aid.
Conor Costello formerly of Earhart Part, Madamsbank Road, Derry, Northern Ireland has also been sent forward for trial. He was also represented by solicitor Brendan Ahern on behalf of Mr Fleming.
Judge David Waters, having heard the DPP directions, and legal aid applications sent all seven men forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Brute who attacked jogger exposed as 'genderfluid' sex offender with 27 aliases
A brute who pleaded guilty to attacking a female jogger can now be revealed as a 'genderfluid' sex offender who has 27 aliases and previously tried to pose as a minor. Last week, the accused was sentenced to three months in prison for attacking the young woman near Fairview Park on the East Wall Road on July 26. During that appearance at Cloverhill District Court on August 6, he was sentenced under the name Hoyda Hamad. But it emerged, the accused has multiple identities and was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in the UK in 2022. This ultimately prompted his latest appearance via video link at Cloverhill District Court for breaching the Sex Offenders Act for failing to tell authorities his address. He pled guilty to the offence and was convicted under the name Youssouf Chergui - which is the same name he was convicted under for the UK sex attack. During mitigation, his solicitor Darren Gray told the court the defendant was in Ireland for two years. He also said the accused's guilty plea saved the state money and the need for potential witnesses to come to court. Mr Gray said that their client was 'genderfluid', fled the Syrian war, had a partner in London with two children that he hadn't seen in two years. The court heard across all aliases he had 20 convictions. Judge Alan Mitchell then sentenced the accused to a further two months yesterday for breaching the Sex Offenders Act. The court heard the accused had eight total convictions in the UK under various different names and identities. It's understood he came to Ireland where he was convicted of a number of offences including burglary in Cork and put behind bars in the Midlands Prison for 11 months in January 2024. The accused was convicted of these offences under the name Youssouf Angelina. After his release from the Midlands, he went on to commit theft in Wexford. In July, the accused was given a three month suspended sentence for this under the name Hoyda Hamad. Following on from this conviction, the accused was then arrested for assaulting a female jogger on the East Wall Road. The court also heard that Gardai have still not been able to accurately determine his true identity and they're not even sure of his nationality. Garda Patrick Watson from Clontarf Garda Station, who gave evidence yesterday, said: 'I don't think anybody knows who he is' Garda Watson said extensive inquiries had taken place at national and international level along with Interpol. Hoyda Hamad. (Image: Irish Mirror) The court also heard that social media videos of what is believed to have been footage of him being arrested in East Wall also prompted Gardai in other parts of the country to get in contact and some of his aliases were uncovered after this. They said once his fingerprints were run through the system - 27 aliases popped up. Some of these listed the accused as being from Syria, Libya and Algeria. The court heard that the Garda National Immigration Bureau had no record of the accused and the accused never sought International Protection - but presented to TUSLA as a minor. Tests later proved he was an adult. It was heard in court the accused was claiming to be 21-years-old. Judge Mitchell said the case was 'quite confusing' and asked what would happen upon the accused's release. Garda Watson replied: 'We can't find out who he is so we can't send him back anywhere.' Judge Mitchell went on to say Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan was 'big into deportations' and remarked the accused would likely end up before the courts again once released. Judge Mitchell then recommended that the accused 'regularise' his position if staying in Ireland before noting he was 'liable to be arrested and deported'. The accused responded: 'Thank you judge, bye bye' before leaving the video link. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Gerry Hutch has brains to burn - and he's not finished with politics yet'
The Monk Gerry Hutch is like the cat with nine lives. Throughout his life he has managed to make money from a life of crime and stay one step ahead of the law at the same time. He says himself he was forced into criminality through poverty and deprivation, and like many others was left with no other choice. At the same time he recently made it publicly clear he does not want to see young people from his native North inner city of Dublin getting involved in crime like he had to as a kid. Gardai are still investigating the Monk for being head of the Hutch crime organisation. He claims he is innocent, Whether he will ever be prosecuted for this offence remains to be seen. The Three Judges in the Special Criminal Court also cleared him of the Regency Hotel murder of Kinahan henchman David Byrne and were dubious about the evidence of the State's star witness against him, the ex-Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall. Dowdall and his family are now in the Witness Protection Program and will be given a new identity and a new life abroad as part of the deal. Whether you like Gerry Hutch or not he has brains to burn and is a very clever guy. Whatever money he made from crime years ago he invested it wisely and built up a very successful property portfolio stretching from Dublin, London to Lanzarote where he lives most of the time, to Bulgaria and the United States. Independent candidate Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch outside RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, (Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire) He is a multi millionaire who has never forgotten where he came from or his humble beginnings. When Gerry Hutch speaks, he is a bit like Michael O'Leary in some respects, you need to pay attention. He has his finger on the pulse and talks a lot of sense. It was no fluke that he received over 3,000 first preference votes in last year's General Election and narrowly missed out on a Dail seat, finishing fifth in the Four Seater Dublin North constituency. He was 2,000 votes ahead going into the last 11th count and was then pipped at the post by Maria Sherlock of Labour who got a massive vote transfer. Instead of whining about why he lost, Hutch decided to educate himself about our Proportional Representation election system and personally contacted a number of academics to see what he could learn. This contact has resulted in him giving his views on Irish politics in a new book How Ireland Voted In 2024. He came to the conclusion that the single transferable voting system that Ireland uses favours the big established political parties which can distribute votes strategically among multiple candidates. He wrote: "This is what happened. I was over 2,000 votes ahead of the next candidate at one stage and looked likely to take the seat. However, an unusually high transfer between the established candidates meant I was overtaken at the last count. "This system highlights the challenges faced by Independents but also underscores the need for reform." But one of the big things he learned from the election was the absolute detachment of working class communities in deprived areas from politics. Many people, especially the youth, don't realise that they have to register to vote. Gerry Hutch revealed: "One critical insight I gained is that many working class individuals underestimate the power of the vote. Political parties benefit from the lack of awareness, as it maintains the status quo. "This has to change through both education and changing the requirements for citizens to register to vote. During my campaign I spoke to many people who were unaware that they needed to register to vote. "I strongly believe that everyone in Ireland should be automatically registered , allowing them to vote upon presenting ID at the polling booth. "The current system disproportionately affects working class communities and those less fortunate, as they must first navigate the registration process before they can even cast their votes. "Many of the households I visited and individuals I spoke to were unaware of the registration requirement and were disappointed to learn they had missed the deadline. The system benefits the established political order while doing very little to educate non voters on the importance and impact of participating in elections." Hutch has hit the nail on the head. If we are serious about getting people out to vote and not having the future of the country being decided every time by 65pc of the population who show up then we need to persuade the other 35pc to vote. The starting point for all of this is to get them on the voting register and to make it easy to do so. The big parties may privately not like it but there is little they can do. There needs to be a big national campaign to make it easier for people to vote. Gerry Hutch also believes that his recent arrest in Lanzarote last October over money laundering allegations was a " stitch up" because he was running for the Dail at the time. He is adamant that he committed no crime on the holiday island where he has a home and also rents out several properties to local people at affordable prices. The Monk is not finished with politics and is determined to run for the Dail again. We can now expect a massive registration drive in the North Inner city. In fact it should be happening in every constituency in Ireland. Let the smaller parties and the independents take note. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- RTÉ News
Man charged over possession of 3D-printed gun, ammunition
A 50-year-old man who was charged with carrying a 3D-printed gun and ammunition has been granted bail. Valeriju Voronenko, with an address at Gardiner Street in Dublin 1, was arrested at Stable Lane in Smithfield in Dublin, on Friday. He appeared before Judge Stephanie Coggans at Dublin District Court yesterday, charged with four Firearms Act offences. The charges include two counts of unlawful possession of a 3D-printed Harlot pistol and eight rounds of .22 ammunition, and the other two allege he had the gun and ammunition in suspicious circumstances. The offences, on conviction, are punishable by sentences of up to five years and up to 14 years. Following submissions by defence counsel Kevin McCrave, bail was granted to the currently unemployed construction worker, subject to strict conditions. Mr Voronenko must surrender his passport, observe an 11pm-8am curfew, and provide a phone number to gardaí. He was ordered not to apply for replacement travel documents and remanded on bail in his bond of €500. Mr Voronenko, who has yet to enter a plea, is due to appear again in September, for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions to be conveyed.
