Ireland Crime

Reports that an eighth man was arrested and charged on 4 October 2023 and is due before Midleton District Court on 5 October. It also names the four men charged on Tuesday at Mallow District Court, gives the charge wording and says the vessel is docked at Marino Point in Cobh.

Reports that Mykhailo Gavryk, Cumali Ozgen, Saeid Hassani and Vitaliy Vlasoi appeared in Mallow District Court on 3 October 2023, were remanded in custody to 10 October, and that seven people had been charged so far. It gives the court as Mallow rather than Midleton and the return date as 10 October.

Reports the first Mallow District Court appearance of Gavryk, Ozgen, Hassani and Vlasoi, their ages and nationalities, the charge wording, remand in custody to 10 October, and legal submissions on bail, legal aid and expert access to the MV Matthew.

Names the four accused, gives the charge details and remand dates, and reports that the defence sought expert access to the vessel and that legal aid was adjourned.

Adds the first three men charged, who were due before Mallow District Court on 3 October 2023, and that one further arrested person remained in Garda custody. Names are not given. The article says the seizure was 'last Tuesday' and gives no exact date.

Adds the charges against Soheil Jelveh, the ship's captain, his refusal of bail and remand at Wexford District Court, and the remand of two other men charged with conspiracy to import drugs.

Reports a third man charged and due before Wexford District Court on Monday. Names Jamie Harbron and Vitaliy Lapa, who were charged with conspiracy to import drugs and appeared in Waterford District Court. Says five other men have been arrested, one released without charge and four still in custody.

Garda update: four males arrested in the sea operation are charged and due at Mallow District Court on Tuesday 3 October 2023; one further arrested person remains in custody. The article does not name anyone or state the drugs involved.

Adds that the cocaine is to be incinerated after the court cases, the street value estimate of €500million, the ship's docking in Cork, two men charged with conspiracy to import drugs in court, and that five remain in custody and one man was released without charge.

Reports the release without charge of an eighth arrested man, the arrest of a 30-year-old man for alleged organised crime offences, five people still detained, and the charging and court appearance of Jamie Harbron and Vitaliy Lapa.

Names the first two men charged in the MV Matthew cocaine case, their charge, the Waterford court appearance, the remand and the bail position, and gives the reported background of the fishing vessel.

Adds the court appearance on 29 September 2023: Jamie Harbron and Vitaliy Lapa appeared at a special sitting in Waterford, were charged with conspiracy to import drugs, and were remanded in custody. It also gives the seizure as 2.2 tonnes and states the street value at about €500 million.

Feature account of the whole operation: the Castlemore fishing boat running aground off Wexford, the boarding of MV Matthew, the captain's arrest, and the charges against two men. It adds the Irish-record description, the suspected cartel links, and the naval warning shots.

Reports the first charges in the MV Matthew cocaine seizure: two men detained on a trawler that ran aground off Co Wexford, who were charged and due before Wexford District Court on Friday. Adds that gardaí believe the trawler was taking delivery of cocaine from the MV Matthew and that five other crew members from Iran, Ukraine and the Netherlands were still held.

Reports that two men, one from the United Kingdom and one from Ukraine, have been charged with conspiracy to import drugs, and that five other men remain in custody. The article does not give a date for the seizure.

Adds that gardaí believe the Kinahan cartel funded the consignment and that the cartel and its allies are out of pocket, reports that the ship's captain had €70,000 cash when arrested at University Hospital Waterford, and says four more suspects were arrested, making seven held.

Adds garda sources linking the haul to the Clan del Golfo cartel and suspected Kinahan cartel interest, the €150 million value, details of the Castlemore trawler arrests, and the arrest and detention of the latest suspect, a 48-year-old Dutch national.

Adds that a seventh man, a 48-year-old Dutch national, was arrested on board the ship on Thursday and is held at Mallow Garda Station. Also gives details of the other crew arrests: the captain, chief officer, first officer and second officer.

Early report on the seizure itself: the weight, official value, the Army Ranger Wing operation and the suspected Irish gang link. No arrests or charges are mentioned, and the article gives no clear date for the operation.

Adds that sources say gardaí suspect the Clan del Golfo owned the cocaine and that the Kinahan cartel is being investigated as a possible client. Gives the street value as up to €500m, against an official value of €157m, and states that three men were in custody.

Adds three further arrests and says the drugs were to be dropped at several locations along the Irish, UK and European coasts. It also states that the captain, an Iranian national, remains in custody.

Background feature on the ship, its owner and recent history, the suspected wider gang network, the three men in Garda custody, and the ongoing crew interviews. It describes three men in custody but does not name them or state charges.

Live blog from the day after the operation. Adds the early operational details, the seizure value, the captain's arrest and detention under anti-drugs legislation, and the warning shots fired during the boarding. The article is about the same MV Matthew seizure as existing case 7438.

Early live-blog coverage of the seizure. Adds that two men were arrested under anti-gangland legislation, the captain is in custody, gardaí say the cocaine was supplied by a South American cartel, and further arrests may follow.

Adds the official valuation of €157 million, the estimated street value of up to three times that, the boarding details, the three men in custody, and the Garda Commissioner's comments on Irish gang involvement and the intended destinations of the drugs.

Adds the Naval Service's warning shots, the boarding by the Army Rangers, the ship's suspected cargo value, and the arrests of two men taken from the Castlemore trawler and the ship's skipper, who was taken to Wexford Garda station for questioning.