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STV News
5 hours ago
- STV News
Two Scots appear in court in connection with £26m cocaine seizure in Ireland
Two Scottish men have appeared in an Irish court in connection with a £26m cocaine seizure off the coast of Ireland. Mark Doherty, 40, of Glasgow, and Ben Sandford, 40, of Moray, faced the charges at Bandon District Court, County Cork, along with two other suspects on Thursday. They appeared alongside Levent Gulay, 31, of Bavaria, Germany, and Christopher Hibbit, 44, from Cornwall in England. The men were arrested on Tuesday, July 1, after Gardai from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stopped a van in the Courtmacsherry area of Cork, and 440kg of suspected cocaine, with a street value in excess of €31m, was recovered. Two of the men were arrested by the armed Maritime Interdiction Team, on a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that had departed Broadstrand, Countmacherry. The boat was intercepted by two Naval Services RIBs dispatched from Irish naval ship L.E William Butler Years, supported by a Maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, off the coast of Waterford. Doherty, from Pollok, and Sandford, from Keith, both faced two charges regarding possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale or supply. The four defendants were remanded in custody, and will appear at Macroom District Court on July 9. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scots suspects in £26m Irish cocaine bust named as they appear in court
The pair were both in the dock at Kinsale District Court along with two other men in connection with the massive seizure. 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. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 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.
