Scots suspects in £26m Irish cocaine bust named as they appear in court
Two Scots have appeared in court in connection with a £26million cocaine bust in Ireland.
Mark Doherty, 40, from Glasgow and Ben Sanford, 39, of Keith, Moray were both in the dock at Kinsale District Court yesterday along with two other men.
The four men were arrested by police on Tuesday this week following a multi-agency operation which saw 440kg of cocaine seized in West Cork.
Doherty and Sandford appeared alongside Christopher Hibbett, 44, from Truro, Cornwall and German national Levent Gulay, 31, from Neu-Ulm in Bavaria.
According to Cork local media outlet EchoLive the four men each face two charges regarding possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale or supply.
Both Doherty and Sanford made no reply to the charges given by Garda detectives. Their solicitors said their clients would not be applying for bail.
Gulay, who was assisted by a German interpreter made no reply to the charges and made no bail application.
Hibbet replied: 'I'm f****g sorry. That's it,' when charges were read out. His solicitor also confirmed he would not be applying for bail.
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Judge Carroll remanded all four men in custody to appear again at Macroom District Court On July 7.
Doherty and Gulay were both arrested on Tuesday, July 1 as part of a Joint Task Force Drugs operation that was investigating the activities of an international organised crime group involved in drug smuggling.
Garda cops stopped a van in the Courtmacsherry area and cocaine valued in excess of €31million (£26million) was seized by Irish Customs.
Sanford and Hibbet were arrested on a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that had departed Countmacherry on July 1.
The boat was intercepted by two Naval Services RIBs dispatched from Irish naval ship L.E William Butler Years off the coast of Waterford.
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