8 men jailed for combined 129yrs over failed MV Matthew €157m coke smuggling op after largest drug bust in Irish history
The sentences range from 13 and a half years to two decades.
The failed attempt to smuggle the 2.2 tonnes of cocaine into the country back in September 2023, lead to the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history.
The drugs were seized following a joint
At sentencing on Friday, Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, 49, received a sentence of 20 years, while Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, received a sentence of 18 years.
The captain of the vessel, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, received 17 and a half years in prison.
READ MORE IRISH NEWS
Ukrainians Vitaliy Vlasoi, 32, received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence and Mykhailo Gavryk, also 32, received 14 years imprisonment.
Saeid Hassani, 40, who was the third officer, received a 15-year sentence.
Two other men, who were on a boat that had been purchased in Castletownbere to collect drugs from the main vessel, were also sentenced for attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply.
Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, received a sentence of 14 and a half years.
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
Jamie Harbron, 31, of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, received a sentence of 13 and a half years in prison.
1
The MV Matthew had €157 million worth of drugs on board
Credit: Alamy Live News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
36 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
George Gibney due in Ireland and could appear in court on Tuesday
Former Irish Olympic swimming team coach George Gibney is on his way back to Ireland from the US and could appear in a Dublin court as early as Tuesday in relation to historical sexual abuse charges. Gardaí were in Florida on Monday to begin the process of bringing the 77-year-old back to face the charges, after he consented to be extradited from the US to Ireland earlier this month. US Marshals arrested Gibney in Florida earlier this month. He is accused of 78 charges of indecent assault and one of attempted rape. The alleged victims were aged between eight and 14 or 15 years at the time of the alleged offences. His arrest came after the 2020 BBC/Second Captains podcast Where Is George Gibney highlighted allegations of abuse against Gibney and prompted new complainants to come forward. Mr Gibney was the founder of the Trojan Swimming Club in Blackrock in Dublin, where he also worked as a swimming coach. He also worked as a swimming coach with the Irish national team until 1991. In 1993, he was charged with 27 counts of indecency and having carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15. The following year, a judicial review prevented the case from proceeding due to the length of time that had elapsed since the alleged incidents took place. In 1997, after fresh allegations were made against him, a garda investigation into Gibney was opened. That investigation did not result in a prosecution. George Gibney has lived in the US since 1995.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Disgraced former Irish swim coach George Gibney expected in Ireland on Tuesday
Disgraced former Irish national swimming coach George Gibney is expected to arrive in Ireland on Tuesday morning following his deportation to face criminal charges. The 77-year-old was arrested earlier this month in Florida under an extradition warrant. Mr Gibney is wanted in Ireland to face 78 counts of indecently assaulting four girls and one count of attempting to rape one of them. He was the alleged victims' coach and they were aged between eight and 14 at the time, according to the documents filed with a US district court. It is understood he is to be placed on a flight tonight (Monday) in America, escorted by members of the Garda Extradition Unit attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI). He is due to be formally charged when he arrives in Ireland and brought before Dublin District Court. He left Ireland more than 30 years ago and has not been back since. He was arrested in Florida three weeks ago by US Marshals on foot of an Irish extradition warrant, He was tracked down to a property in Orlando, Florida by the BBC-produced podcast Where is George Gibney as he has been the focus of an investigation by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau. Gibney coached children with the Trojan swimming club in Dublin in the 1980s and the 1990s. He was a high-profile sports figure who regularly appeared in Irish media until he was exposed for allegedly sexually abusing children. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Drug mule who was ‘big fan of Conor McGregor' jailed for importing cocaine into Ireland
Anthony Matheus Rosas De Souza (29) also told custom officials when he was stopped at Dublin Airport that he had heard Irish beer was good A drugs mule who claimed he was visiting Ireland because he was a big fan of Conor McGregor and he liked the look of Irish pubs in the movies has been jailed for importing cocaine. Anthony Matheus Rosas De Souza (29) also told custom officials when he was stopped at Dublin Airport that he had heard Irish beer was good and that he was planning to meet up with a woman he had connected with on Tinder. He later admitted that he had been forced to transport the drugs from Brazil because he owed money to a loan shark. His mother was threatened and he was told that if he brought the suitcase into Ireland his debt would be written off. De Souza, who is originally from the Amazon region of Brazil, has been on remand in custody since his arrest at the airport. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importing cocaine at Terminal One, Dublin Airport on November 1, 2024. He has no previous convictions. Garda Andrew Fay told Simon Donagh BL, prosecuting, that the suitcase was X-rayed after De Souza was spotted acting evasively and suspiciously. Six packages of cocaine, weighing 2.88 kilogrammes and with an estimated street value of €201,600 were found concealed in the lining of the luggage. Gda Fay agreed with Aisling Ginger-Quinn BL, defending, that her client said he owed money to loan sharks and was approached by others who told him if he did this favour 'his debt would be forgiven'. He was provided with the flight but got no further payment for bringing the drugs to Dublin. Gda Fay accepted that De Souza was acting as a drugs mule. Judge Orla Crowe accepted that De Souza was deliberately acting as a drug mule and brought drugs into this country. She said the courts see 'day in and day out, the wreckage, chaos and havoc' caused by the drug trade in this country and noted it was people like De Souza playing a 'key component' in the trading of drugs that facilitate this. She acknowledged that De Souza will be serving a sentence away from his 'supportive family' before she set a headline sentence of four years and six months. Judge Crowe imposed a sentence of three years which she backdated to when De Souza first went into custody last November. Dublin Airport Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 21st
