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Sunday World
04-07-2025
- Sunday World
Eight men caught with €157m of cocaine smuggled on MV Matthew are jailed for 129 years
It departed from Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast and sailed across the Atlantic before arriving in Irish territorial waters. The six men caught on board the MV Matthew with 2.2 tonnes of cocaine and two others who attempted to take the illicit load on board a second vessel in the Irish Sea have been jailed for a combined 129 years. Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (33); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (52) and Saeid Hassani (39); Filipino Harold Estoesta (31); and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (50) previously pleaded guilty that between September 24 and 26 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel "MV Matthew" they possessed cocaine for sale or supply contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. The drugs have been valued at €157 million. Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 4th 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 pleaded guilty that on dates between September 21 and 25, 2023, at a location within the State, he attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2023, made under section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and at the time when the controlled drug was in his possession, the market value was €13,000 or more. Ms Justice Melanie Greally today sentenced Ozgen to 20 years in prison; Estoesta to 18 years; Jelveh to 17.5 years; Vlasoi to 16.5 years; Hassani to 15 years; Gavryk to 14 years; Lapa to 14.5 years and Harbron to 13.5 years. The court previously heard that while the MV Matthew was sailing under the flag of Panama, it was owned by a Dubai-based company known as 'Symphony Marine'. It departed from Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast and sailed across the Atlantic before arriving in Irish territorial waters. The court also heard that an organised crime group in Dubai instructed the crew of the MV Matthew as it attempted to evade law enforcement and deliver the drugs to an Irish vessel. Despite repeated warnings from the Irish Navy, including warning shots fired from the LE William Butler Yeats, the person overseeing the operation told the crew to keep going and head for a safe port in Sierra Leone. The original plan was that the MV Matthew would deliver the drugs to a second ship, the Castlemore, but rough seas and technical difficulties caused the Irish vessel to miss the connection and later to run aground.
Irish Independent
04-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Eight men jailed for combined 129 years after Ireland's largest ever drugs haul on MV Matthew
Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (33); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (52) and Saeid Hassani (39); Filipino Harold Estoesta (31); and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (50) previously pleaded guilty that between September 24 and 26 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel MV Matthew, they possessed cocaine for sale or supply contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations.
Irish Times
04-07-2025
- Irish Times
Eight men sentenced to jail over Ireland's biggest ever drug seizure
The six men caught on board the MV Matthew with 2.2 tonnes of cocaine and two others who attempted to take the illicit load on board a second vessel in the Irish Sea have been jailed for a combined 129 years. Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (33); Iranians Soheil Jelveh (52) and Saeid Hassani (39); Filipino Harold Estoesta (31); and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (50) previously pleaded guilty that between September 24th and 26th, 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel MV Matthew they possessed cocaine for sale or supply contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. The drugs have been valued at €157 million. 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 pleaded guilty that on dates between September 21st and 25th, 2023, at a location within the State, he attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2023, made under section 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and at the time when the controlled drug was in his possession, the market value was €13,000 or more. [ 'Go like f**k mate': How the MV Matthew ship and a €157 million drugs haul was seized Opens in new window ] Ms Justice Melanie Greally today sentenced Ozgen to 20 years in prison; Estoesta to 18 years; Jelveh to 17.5 years; Vlasoi to 16.5 years; Hassani to 15 years; Gavryk to 14 years; Lapa to 14.5 years and Harbron to 13.5 years. READ MORE The court previously heard that while the MV Matthew was sailing under the flag of Panama, it was owned by a Dubai-based company known as Symphony Marine'. It departed from Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast and sailed across the Atlantic before arriving in Irish territorial waters. The court also heard that an organised crime group in Dubai instructed the crew of the MV Matthew as it attempted to evade law enforcement and deliver the drugs to an Irish vessel. Despite repeated warnings from the Irish Navy, including warning shots fired from the LE William Butler Yeats, the person overseeing the operation told the crew to keep going and head for a safe port in Sierra Leone. The original plan was that the MV Matthew would deliver the drugs to a second ship, the Castlemore, but rough seas and technical difficulties caused the Irish vessel to miss the connection and later to run aground. More to follow . . .
RTÉ News
04-07-2025
- RTÉ News
Eight jailed over MV Matthew cocaine seizure
Eight men have been jailed for between 13 and a half and 20 years for their roles in trying to smuggle 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth over €157m, the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history. The drugs were seized following a joint garda, customs and Defence Forces operation in September 2023 after army rangers forcibly boarded a cargo ship at sea. Six were hired in Dubai by a transnational organised crime group before flying to South America for the international drug trafficking operation. They were arrested on board the MV Matthew, ignored instructions from the LÉ William Butler Yeats Naval Vessel five times and tried to burn the drugs on board before a team. Two other men bought a boat, the Castlemore, in Castletownbere to collect the drugs from the mothership, but it ran aground off the coast of Wexford and they had to be rescued by the coastguard. Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk and Vitaliy Vlasoi, who are both 32, 51-year-old Soheil Jelveh, 39-year-old Saeid Hassani, 31-year-old Harold Estoesta and 49-year-old Cumali Ozgen, who is from the Netherlands, all pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the MV Mathew between September 24 and 26 2023. Sixty-two-year-old Vitaliy Lapa, who's also from Ukraine with an address at Rudenko, Repina Str in Berdyansk and 31-year-old Jamie Harbron of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply between 21 September and 25 September 2023.
Irish Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
MV Matthew €157m cocaine seizure sentencing LIVE as eight men learn their fate
Eight men are today set to be hit with heavy jail terms over one of the biggest drug seizures in Irish history. The men have pleaded guilty to crewing the boat which crossed the Atlantic with Cartel cocaine on board and bound for the European market. Members of the Irish Army Rangers wing of the Defence Forces boarded the ship on 26 September 2023 in a daring mission in rough seas as the MV Matthew manoeuvred to try to evade capture. The ship had departed from Curacao, off the Venezuelan coast and sailed across the Atlantic before arriving in Irish territorial waters. 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, pleaded guilty that between 24 and 26 September 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel 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 pleaded guilty that on dates between 21 and 25 September 2023 they attempted to possess cocaine for sale or supply, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act. Lawyers for all eight asked the court to be as lenient as possible in sentencing. Today they learn their fate. Eight men will today be sentenced over the record seizure - it's expected that gardai will release a statement after the sentencing 'We've handed keys of the country to cartels' The influx of drugs has soared since the pandemic The Naval Service is short staffed The Defence Forces' elite unit will be based in a new €46m headquarters Sentencing begins today - this is how the story up to now played out Top Garda's stark warning
