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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
MV Matthew: How crime gang's ill-prepared crew fell afoul of Ireland's largest cocaine seizure
When six men were interviewed from Dubai for jobs by a major drug cartel masquerading as a flash shipping company, they grabbed the lucrative contracts. They then flew to South America and boarded a very large and somewhat rusty bulk cargo ship, empty of cargo, in Curaçao, off the coast of Venezuela. On their third night at sea, many of the 21 crew were plied with alcohol 'as a distraction'. As they got drunk, a few men were ordered to load a cargo of 'spare parts' off a shadowy ship that pulled up alongside, manned by heavily armed crew. Fear permeated the MV Matthew from that point, said the six men who have pleaded guilty to involvement in a plot to smuggle 2.25 tonnes of cocaine in the Panamanian-registered 190-metre-long, 32-metre-wide bulk cargo ship, after the ship was seized by Irish authorities off the Cork coast. The Panamanian-registered MV Matthew being escorted into Cork Harbour. File picture: PA They were promised bonuses to 'keep their mouths shut' about the cargo, they said. As the giant ship tracked slowly across the Atlantic, the Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre, an international organisation that monitors maritime traffic to dismantle drug trafficking, alerted Irish authorities that they were suspicious of the ship. The MV Matthew's actual course and its stated course had diverged, since it left the waters off Venezuela, tracked through automatic identification system (AIS) technology. Meanwhile, gardaí monitored four men in Ireland as they travelled to Glengarriff and then Castletownbere in Co Cork to buy the fishing trawler, The Castlemore, and sail it up the coast. This boat was to be the 'daughter' ship to collect drugs from the MV Matthew's 'mother ship' and was arranging to collect the 2.25 tonne cocaine consignment, worth some €157m, from the larger vessel off the Irish coast. Vitaliy Lapa's warning ignored A retired Ukrainian fishing captain, Vitaliy Lapa, aged 62, had been in Ireland since July, staying in hotels in Dublin and Newry that were paid for by his employers, a major transnational organised crime group, waiting for instructions. Vitaliy Lapa. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA Russia's invasion of Ukraine had pushed Lapa, a retired fishing captain, back out to work at sea as the conflict had imposed great financial pressures on his family, his counsel Colman Cody said. Lapa said he was told he would be paid €5,000, which 'considering the largesse from this enterprise, was a very paltry sum' for the risks of involvement, Mr Cody said. His English had been 'non-existent' when he came to Ireland in 2023, the Special Criminal Court heard. He had been hired for his seafaring experience. But when he viewed the fishing trawler, the Castlemore, in Castletownbere, West Cork, with a person of interest to gardaí, on September 21, 2023, he said he had concerns about the boat, believing its engine speed and capacity was insufficient, unable to go above 10 knots. However, his concerns were ignored and the boat was bought by a Dubai-based operative of the organised crime gang. Jamie Harbron had no maritime experience Meanwhile, Jamie Harbron, aged 31, had got the ferry from his home in the UK to Ireland. He bought a ticket on his own debit card just two days before departing on the Castlemore. Jamie Harbron. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA Harbron had suffered addiction issues and was 'the lowest rung' of the drug smuggling operation, his counsel Michael O'Higgins said. Harbron left school at age 14 with no GCSEs. He 'was a man without means', with no home or car, Mr O'Higgins said. He developed addiction issues, consuming cocaine, cannabis, and alcohol, and ran up a significant drug debt. His actions on the Castlemore were to pay off €10,000 of a €20,000 drug debt. He had no maritime experience. Trawler set sail on September 22 The Castlemore left West Cork on Friday, September 22, 2023. A message sent to Lapa and Harbron on encrypted messaging app Signal said: 'Ok lads, no need for luck, really, this couldn't be more straightforward — just relax and this will all be over soon.' A photo released by gardaí of what transpired to be the €157m cocaine haul seized from the MV Matthew. Picture: An Garda Síochána And it was. But not in the way they had hoped. From the time they set sail, Lapa and Harbron met only adversity. Harbron, intensely seasick and with no seafaring experience, was terrified and thought he was going to die when their boat got caught in a storm off the South-East coast. The boat's engine failed and it lost electricity and wifi — vital for their clandestine communications with the cartel and the MV Matthew. Defence barrister Michael O'Higgins said: Notwithstanding the very serious risk to their lives, they were specifically instructed not to contact the Coast Guard. The gang's treatment of the two men showed how 'expendable' they were, the court heard. Castlemore's crucial satellite system A reason the Castlemore fishing trawler had been chosen was because a Starlink satellite internet service was installed. This would allow online communications between people on the boat and off the boat through messaging apps Signal and Whatsapp. The contents of these messaging apps would prove central to the State's case. Messages spoke about the cocaine drop off and 'lowering the food' onto the boat. Positions were shared via messages and multiple attempts were made for the 'mother ship' and 'daughter ship' to meet. 'There will be four jumbo bags, it will be a lot but just go like fuck mate to truck away,' one message from someone named Padre in messages, who was directing the operation from off the boat, said. Another message said the 'parcel' would comprise of 'six big jumbo bags tied together […] total weight 2.2T.' As the weather became increasingly stormy, tensions were clearly rising on the MV Matthew as it tried to convene the drop off. Soheil Jelveh. File picture: Jim Campbell The captain, Soheil Jelveh, complained of how 'these idiots were late again'. He also expressed concern about the worsening weather, saying a drop-off would be impossible in the growing swell. 'Daughter ship' ran aground The Castlemore ran aground off the Wexford coast on September 24, 2023. Terrified, exhausted, and sick, the crew issued a distress call after 11pm. The two men were so exhausted and unwell they couldn't secure a tow rope being thrown to them by the coastguard and had to be winched to safety by a helicopter in rough seas. They were then arrested. When the MV Matthew heard that SOS call over the radio that night, a plan was devised to put the drugs in a lifeboat with Cumali Ozgen, who the court heard was the 'eyes and ears' of the cartel in Dubai, and lower the boat to sea. But this never happened. The 'Irish Examiner' front page report on September 26, 2023 notes that gardaí and the navy had already been tracking the trawler before it ran aground off the Wexford coast. Picture: Irish Examiner Voices from Dubai on the messaging apps also said they could get another boat to leave from Dublin to collect the drugs. The MV Matthew's captain, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, then called for a medical evacuation, being winched off the ship by the Irish Coast Guard and taken to hospital — bringing four phones, more than $52,000 in cash, and two suitcases. He was later arrested in hospital. MV Matthew's attempt to flee Meanwhile, the MV Matthew was trying to escape Irish territorial waters. They wrongly believed they could not be boarded by Irish authorities outside Irish territorial waters and planned to go to Sierra Leone for safety. The MV Matthew berthed at Marino Point, Cork Harbour, in September 2023 after it was seized in the multi-agency operation. File picture: Denis Minihane The crew had also been told to stay out of UK waters as Ireland only had VHF radio but the UK had more technology to communicate and track. The MV Matthew repeatedly tried to evade the naval vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats, even when it announced it was a warship and was in hot pursuit — a maritime law which enables a State to pursue a foreign vessel that has violated a law within its jurisdiction. That pursuit can extend beyond its territorial waters. But the MV Matthew, being directed from Dubai, ignored the LÉ William Butler Yeats' instructions, despite multiple warning shots. It repeatedly attempted to evade it and to burn the drugs aboard. Messaging the Irish naval service — and the gang bosses Harold Estoesta was on the bridge, communicating with the Irish warship via radio while asking for instructions from the shadowy paymaster in Dubai. Harold Estoesta. File picture Dan Linehan He told the navy that the MV Matthew wanted to co-operate, that the crew were crying, panicking, had family to think about. Meanwhile, he was asking the 'captain' in Dubai what he should do. That 'captain' told him to wait and he would call his 'lawyer friends'. 'Please make sure everything is deleted from phones,' a message from Dubai to the MV Matthew crew then said. 'Please don't lose your confidence,' another message from Dubai said. Another message said: We don't want single dollar from this operation. We don't want you to go to jail for nothing. Another message from the 'captain' in Dubai said: 'they've talked too much, show them some real action. 'Be confident, there is law stopping them from boarding the ship.' Incorrect information But the information sent on what constituted Irish territorial waters and their legal rights seemed to be AI-generated and was wrong. The boat headed out towards the high seas after repeatedly saying it would comply with the navy's order to proceed to the Port of Cork. In rough seas, the MV Matthew manoeuvred to try to escape the Irish Defence Forces helicopter as elite army rangers fired a warning shot and abseiled down onto the boat on September 26. Great bravery was shown by the Army Ranger Wing in climbing down that rope from a helicopter in rolling seas to seize the ship, Detective Superintendent Keith Halley told the Special Criminal Court. And the MV Matthew's manoeuvring to evade capture put those elite soldiers in danger, he said. Once on board, the soldiers saw smoke from a life raft on the starboard side, found the drugs alight, and quickly extinguished the fire to preserve the evidence before seizing the ship. Of the 21 crew who left from Curaçao off the Venezuelan coast in August, 2023, on the MV Matthew, six would later plead guilty to involvement in drug trafficking. Crewmen claimed not to know about cargo Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, aged 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, aged 33, said in mitigation that they were forced to flee their homes in Odessa by Russia's invasion of their country. Both experienced seamen, they claimed not to know about the ship's illegal cargo until it was brought aboard and they were then at sea with nowhere to escape to. Mykhalio Gavryk. File picture: Dan Linehan Likewise, Harold Estoesta, aged 31, was a qualified seaman and second officer and had been a government scholar in the Philippines. One of the few crew with excellent English — the language of communication on the messaging apps — once he was aboard the ship he said he was 'terrified' and 'alone at sea' so felt he must comply with orders. Vitaliy Vlasoi. File picture: Dan Linehan Iranian Soheil Jelveh, aged 51, the captain, was highly qualified and had no known previous links to organsied crime. He had largely retired to coach football and said he had been lured to Dubai by people offering a better education for his son there, a better life for his family, and help establishing a football foundation. Fellow Iranian Saied Hassani, 40, had worked at sea almost consistently since graduating from maritime college, which he started in 2005, so much so that he missed all of his six-year-old daughter's birthdays, the court heard. Saeid Hassani. File picture: Dan Linehan He has two sisters who need medical care — one is in a wheelchair and one has cancer — and he has worked to provide for his wider family since his father died, defence barrister Mark Lynam SC said in mitigation. However, messages did show him suggesting to the person in Dubai directing the ship remotely that that they should carry guns for the next operation. Cumali Ozgen, aged 49, originally from Turkey but living in the Netherlands for most of his life, was described as the 'eyes and ears' of the cartel on the ship. But his barrister Brendan Grehan said there was no suggestion he had an organising role. Cumali Ozgen. File picture: Dan Linehan He was the only one of the accused with no seafaring experience and his role seemed to be to communicate with Dubai and to mind the drugs. The court heard he had a son who had required brain surgery and he was trying to provide for his future. 'Immense capabilities, unlimited resources, global reach' A transnational organised crime group with 'immense capabilities, unlimited resources and a global reach,' directed the MV Matthew drug smuggling operation, Det Supt Keith Halley told the sentencing hearing for the eight men charged in connection with the seizure at the Special Criminal Court this week. And the crew aboard the MV Matthew were very much directed from voices in Dubai. But the technology they communicated through would ultimately reveal the second-by-second unfolding of the biggest drug seizure in the history of the State. Voice messages, text messages, photos, and videos, mostly captured from phones, showed the entire operation unfold. Guilty pleas All six men arrested onboard the MV Matthew have pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on the ship between September 24 and 26, 2023. Lapa and Harbron have pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply between September 21 and 25, 2023. The eight men will be sentenced on July 4, in the Special Criminal Court by Justice Melanie Grealy, Judge Sarah Berkeley, and Judge Gráinne Malone.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Go like f**k mate': How the MV Matthew ship and a €157 million drugs haul was seized
Vitaliy Lapa and Jamie Harbron were exhausted, sick and terrified as their ship, the Castlemore, lost power and lost communication in a storm off the Irish coast. Harbron, a drug user from Billingham near Middlesbrough in the northeast of England with no seafaring background, had taken the job to help pay a debt. He had been sick since they boarded two days earlier. Lapa (62), the captain and an experienced fisherman from Ukraine, hadn't wanted to use the Castlemore, an Irish ship, for this mission. But under pressure from a Dubai -based criminal who was paying for the vessel, he had agreed to take charge. The plan was that they would meet up with the MV Matthew, a larger bulk carrier that had been loaded with 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on its voyage across the Atlantic. But with no power, wifi or communications, and little clue what they were doing, Lapa and Harbron failed to make the rendezvous and ran aground near the Wexford coast on September 24th, 2022. READ MORE Further details of how the MV Matthew came to be in Irish waters emerged in evidence before the Special Criminal Court during this week's sentencing hearing of eight men who have pleaded guilty to offences arising from the seizure of €157 million worth of drugs on board the bulk carrier. Like Lapa and Harbron on the Castlemore, the crew of the MV Matthew were suffering too on their journey across the Atlantic in September 2022. They had left Venezuela early that month but some on board were surprised when, a few days into the voyage, they stopped to take on what they were told were spare parts. Harold Estoesta, a 31-year-old Filipino and the second officer on the MV Matthew, later described to gardaí how the cargo was loaded from another boat by crane after ordinary members of the crew had been plied with alcohol. Estoesta's concerns were heightened, he said, when he saw the crew of the other boat armed with guns. When he expressed misgivings, he was told he would get a bonus to keep his concerns to himself. The Naval Service considered using the deck-mounted gun to fire on the MV Matthew but paused when they learned the Army rangers were on their way Soheil Jelveh (52), an Iranian, was the captain of the MV Matthew but he told gardaí that his instructions came from a figure in Dubai, referred to as Captain Noah. Jelveh had retired as a sea captain in 2019 to prioritise his work as a soccer coach and it was through coaching that he came into contact with individuals from Dubai. His own barrister counsel told the court this week that these people 'wined and dined him' and promised to help him to buy a sports bar in the Emirate city, where he could live with his family. They brought his wife and son to Dubai as part of the deal. But with Jelveh at sea, he would claim that he began to feel he had been 'violated'. He worried about his family in Dubai and said that he came to believe that the Dubai 'cartel' had placed one of the crew on board to kill him. As the MV Matthew crossed the Atlantic, preparations were under way in Ireland. A man referred to as a 'person of interest' in the investigation, who has since moved to Dubai, met Lapa in Newry. They picked up Harbron in Dublin and travelled to Castletownbere in west Cork to meet a man who had advertised the Castlemore for sale. But Lapa wasn't happy. The engine did not have the capacity or speed for what was required, he complained. The seller of the vessel would tell gardaí that despite Lapa's concerns, his companion from Dubai ordered him to buy the boat. A wifi router was placed on board so Lapa and Harbron could communicate with people onshore and use a group chat for further instructions from Dubai. The Castlemore set out from the south coast on Friday, September 22nd with regular communications about where, when and how it would receive the cargo from the MV Matthew. Four to six 'jumbo bags' would be lowered by rope. 'It be a lot but just go like f**k mate. Tuck away. Proportion it on each side so balanced,' one message read. By Saturday, the weather was getting stormier and so was Jelveh's mood. It became apparent that the Castlemore was having problems getting on the internet and couldn't communicate. The Castlemore missed the first rendezvous and the winds grew stronger. Jelveh sent messages to the group saying the drop would not be possible because of the weather and he complained about trying to meet another vessel in the Irish Sea. 'You will drag me all the way here in the storm. Here it is not possible. I begged you to go to the Mediterranean ... low pressure here all the time,' he said in one message. Captain Noah finally had enough and messaged the crew to say he was taking over. 'Please comply with all instructions,' he said. On the afternoon of September 24th, the Castlemore, having run aground, sent a distress call to the coast guard. The MV Matthew was monitoring the frequencies and by midnight they were exchanging messages about the stricken Castlemore. But the Dubai organisation was not deterred. They deleted the Castlemore phone from the group chat and told the MV Matthew crew to expect a different boat. Jelveh had had enough. He contacted the lifeguard requesting a medical evacuation and a helicopter came to airlift him away. He brought with him two suitcases. When gardaí searched them, they found mobile phones and a satellite phone with incriminating communications between the MV Matthew, the Castlemore and Dubai. They also found more than $52,000 (€45,500) in cash. The phones confirmed for gardaí that the drugs were still on board the MV Matthew and they decided it was time to move. At 4.52am on September 26th, the Naval Service vessel, the LE William Butler Yeats, approached the MV Matthew and ordered it to proceed to port. The MV Matthew responded that they had engine difficulties and would be remaining at anchor for two days while Estoesta relayed everything that was said back to the organised crime group in Dubai. The Dubai organisation provided inaccurate AI-generated legal advice telling the MV Matthew that the Irish authorities were not allowed to board. 'Don't lose confidence,' the Dubai-based gang said. At 12.11pm, it became apparent the MV Matthew was not moving towards Cork but was heading for international waters. An Irish Naval Service commander took over and the LE William Butler Yeats officially became a warship. The commander escalated the warnings and fired three times. Estoesta responded by saying the crew have families and 'don't like problems'. 'We don't like problems either,' the commander responded. 'We want you to comply with our instructions.' [ Cocaine cited as main drug in almost two-fifths of cases needing treatment Opens in new window ] The Naval Service considered using the deck-mounted gun to fire on the MV Matthew but paused when they learned the Army rangers were on their way. Estoesta reported the warning shots to Dubai and was initially told to keep the drugs on board and 'go full speed'. As it became clear the naval vessel was not letting them go, the order came to put the drugs in a lifeboat, set them on fire and head for Sierra Leone in west Africa. 'We don't want a single dollar profit ... we don't want you to go to jail for nothing,' came the message from Dubai. They told Estoesta to stay calm. There was, they said, 'no helicopter, no commando, be confident, there is a law preventing them boarding the ship'. Estoesta ordered the crew to set the drugs on fire using diesel, gasoline or paint thinners. Some of the cocaine seized from the MV Matthew. Photograph: An Garda Siochana/PA Wire From Dubai, another message read: 'Don't let them communicate with you. Put the lifeboat on fire and f**k it. Otherwise, good luck.' Estoesta was following the orders from Dubai when a helicopter appeared. He photographed it and uploaded the image to the group. But there was no more advice from Dubai. Using rope ladders, the rangers climbed down to the ship while the MV Matthew manoeuvred in an unsuccessful bid to prevent them safely boarding. Det Supt Keith Halley would tell the Special Criminal Court that it took 'great bravery' for the soldiers to board. They extinguished the fire, preserving the cocaine for evidence and displayed their wide-ranging skill when one of the rangers, an experienced seaman, steered the vessel to Cork harbour. [ Irish Army rangers risked their lives in boarding cargo ship carrying cocaine, court hears Opens in new window ] Eight men now face lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the attempted shipment of €157 million worth of cocaine across the Atlantic. Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (33); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (52) and Saeid Hassani (40); Filipino Harold Estoesta (31) and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (50) have pleaded guilty to charges that between September 24th and 26th, 2023, at locations outside the State, on board the MV Matthew they possessed cocaine for sale or supply, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62), with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, and Jamie Harbron (31) of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK have pleaded guilty that between September 21st and 25th, 2023 they attempted to possess cocaine for sale or supply, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The operation to intercept the shipment was part of a transnational effort targeting international criminal organisations, Det Supt Halley told the court this week. Several people of interest remain under investigation. [ How cocaine became Ireland's biggest drug problem Opens in new window ] Ms Justice Melanie Greally, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Gráinne Malone, in the Special Criminal Court will deliver the men's sentences on July 4th.
