MATTHEW TT

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Accused was involved in disguising true position of cocaine ship

An officer of the 'Matthew' was involved in a group effort to disguise the vessel's true position, the Special Criminal Court has heard. The Filipino Harold Estoesta, aged 31, and Iranian Saeid Hassani, aged 39, have denied having the cocaine for sale or supply on board the ship. The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine has an estimated value of more than €157 million. The court previously heard that while the '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 Prosecution counsel, Sean Guerin SC, said there would be evidence that the men had given direction to others in the preparation for the physical transfer of the drugs from the the 'Matthew' onto 'The Castlemore'. The State alleges both accused were in a Deck Officers WhatsApp group and the case against them relates to communications about the transportation of the drugs and the concealment of those activities from others. At the Special Criminal Court on Feb 13, the evidence continued of Gary Delaney, a retired naval officer with 40 years’ experience in land and marine surveying. The court previously heard that he inspected the systems used by the 'Matthew' to work out the ship’s navigation and route. The Counsel for the State, John Berry SC, referenced a phone taken from Mr Hassani that contained messages to the WhatsApp group known as The Deck Officers. Mr Delaney confirmed that these messages showed that Mr Estoesta was aware of efforts by people on board the ship to use the AIS to simulate the vessel’s position. As the ship approached Irish waters, there was no actual evidence of a simulated position but an absence of any position. The AIS did not provide any information, which he attributed to an uncertainty by those on board about which route to take. There was an update on Sep 23, 2023, to the AIS records showing a change of destination from Gdansk to Belfast. Just after midnight on Sep 24, the AIS sent a message that the ship was "NUC". Two hours later, the AIS status was changed to indicate the vessel was underway using its engine. The vessel’s destination was then changed from Belfast to Cork. Mr Delaney previously gave evidence that in Aug 2023, there was a divergence between where the 'Matthew' actually was and what it was broadcasting its position as. From Aug 22 to Sep 7, the vessel reported itself as doing a perfect circle off the coast of Guyana, but the ECDIS showed it was off the coast of Venezuela. Mr Delaney said that in the real world, ships do not do perfect circles without dynamic positioning systems, something that the 'Matthew' did not have. Mr Hassani and Mr Estoesta are charged that on Sep 24, 2023, on board the vessel within the territorial sea of the State, they had in their possession controlled drugs, namely cocaine, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the drug 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 while the drug was in their possession the market value of the controlled drug amounted to €13,000 or more. They are also charged with the possession of cocaine for sale or supply to a value of €13,000 or more between September 24 and 26, 2023, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel- Each man also faces a third charge that on Sep 24, 2023, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he participated in or contributed to activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members. The trial will be continued on Feb 18. Four co-accused — Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, aged 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, aged 32, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, aged 51, and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, aged 49 — last week pleaded guilty to similar offences connected to the seizure. Report with photos: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-41574157.html

Messages sent to the Matthew to burn €157m of cocaine to prevent interception, trial heard

Messages sent to the 'Matthew' as she tried to escape Irish waters, carrying €157 million in cocaine, told a group on board to set a course for Africa at full speed and to burn the drugs if a helicopter attempted to intercept the vessel, a trial has heard. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Seán Guerin SC, said it is the State's case that Filipino Harold Estoesta (31) was alone on the bridge of the ship as it was being pursued by the Irish Navy, putting him in control of its cargo of more than two tonnes of cocaine. On Feb 12, 2025, the counsel continued to outline the State’s case against the defendant and his co-accused, Iranian Saeid Hassani (39). Both men have denied having the cocaine for sale or supply on board the Panamanian bulk carrier MV Matthew. The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine, the largest such seizure in Irish history, has an estimated value of more than €157 million. The court previously heard that while the '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 prosecution case against the two men is that they were directly involved in the physical possession of the drugs by the role they had played as ship's officers. There would be evidence that the men had given direction to others in the preparation for the physical transfer of the drugs from the 'Matthew' onto the fishing vessel 'The Castlemore', which was grounded on a sandbank off Curracloe on Sep 24. When it became clear that a rendezvous between the ships would not be possible, those on board the 'Matthew' and those giving directions on shore had attempted to put in place an alternative arrangement for the delivery of the drugs. Continuing his opening address at the non-jury Special Criminal Court, Mr Guerin referenced messages sent in a WhatsApp group known as The Deck Officers, in which he said Mr Estoesta was actively offering ideas and suggestions as to how to advance the drug trafficking operation and how to protect it from the interference of law enforcement officers. Guerin said that a crucial moment in the case against Mr Estoesta was that on Sep 26 at 12.55 p.m. the accused reported that he was alone at the bridge of the ship. As the 'Matthew' was trying to make its escape with a naval vessel in pursuit, the accused was trusted to be alone at the bridge in control of the vessel, putting him in control of its cargo of more than two tonnes of cocaine. He was being consulted about the best course of action by those who are in control of the operation on shore. At one point, it was suggested engulfing the lifeboat in flames to burn the cargo of drugs, with the accused involved in a voluntary discussion and exchange of ideas. A message was sent to inform those on board to be ready to set the drugs on fire but make a course for Africa at full speed, and if a helicopter attempted to intercept the ship, then the cargo was to be burnt. An audio recording showed Mr Estoesta telling someone to “prepare gasoline” and “make sure everything burns”. Detective Superintendent Keith Halley, who was a Revenue Customs liaison for the gardaí, gave evidence that the authorities received information about a trawler being used for the importation of drugs, which led to the formation of a joint task force between gardaí, the Revenue Customs Service and the Irish Naval Service.Information was obtained about the purchase of a fishing vessel named The Castlemore in Castletownbere, Co Cork, with the person interested in buying it connected to a logistics company in Dubai. An opinion was formed that this vessel was to be used in drug trafficking as the “daughter ship” in an operation with a “mother ship”, with the smaller vessel meant to leave land and come together with the larger vessel to allow the transport of cargo from one vessel to another. The 'Matthew' was suspected of being the mother ship in this operation. On Sep 22, 'The Castlemore' left the pier at Castletownbere Harbour with two unknown men onboard, while the the 'Matthew' was proceeding north to the Irish sea. On Sep 24 a distress call was received from 'The Castlemore', and emergency services responded and rescued the two crew members. Mobile phones were seized from them and analysed, revealing that there was a substantial amount of drugs involved, with a reference to “2.2t”. There was a message that read the “big bus had turned around”, which was consistent with the movements of the the 'Matthew'. Arising from this information, the authorities formed the opinion that the 'Matthew' was carrying 2.2 tonnes of cocaine. When the ship was boarded and secured by members of the armed forces, there was visible evidence of contraband onboard, namely cocaine. There were 2,253kg of the drug, with an estimated market value of €157 million on board. Certain members of the crew were suspected of having knowledge of importing controlled drugs. Gary Delaney, a retired naval officer,, gave evidence to counsel for the State, John Berry SC, that he inspected the systems used by the MV Matthew to work out the ship’s navigation and route, and said that in Aug 2023, there was a divergence between where the 'Matthew' actually was and where it was broadcasting its position as. From Aug 22 to Sep 7, the vessel reported itself as doing a perfect circle off the coast of Guyana, but the ECDIS system showed it was off the coast of Venezuela. The trial, which is now expected to last around six weeks, continued on Feb 13, with Ms Justice Melanie Greally presiding over the three-judge court. Mr Hassani and Mr Estoesta are charged that on Sep 24, 2023, on board the vessel MV Matthew within the territorial sea of the State, they had in their possession controlled drugs, namely cocaine, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the drug 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 while the drug was in their possession the market value of the controlled drug amounted to €13,000 or more. They are also charged with the possession of cocaine for sale or supply to a value of €13,000 or more between Sep 24 and 26, both dates inclusive, at locations outside the State, on board the vessel. They were also facing a third charge that on Sep 24t, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, they participated in or contributed to activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members. Four co-accused, the Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (32), Iranian Soheil Jelveh (51), and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49) , last week pleaded guilty to similar offences connected to the seizure.

Four pleaded guilty over €157m cocaine seizure

Four men - the Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, and Vitaliy Vlasoi, 32; the Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, and the Dutch national 49-year-old Cumali Ozgen - have pleaded guilty to having 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for supply on board the 'Matthew' in Sep 2023. They appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Feb 6, where they were each arraigned on one of three charges against them. The guilty pleas were acceptable to the Director of Public Prosecutions on a full-facts basis. Ms Justice Melanie Greally remanded the four defendants in custody until Feb 24, when their cases are listed for mention with a view to fixing a sentence date for next term. Eight men in total are facing a number of charges in relation to the drugs seizure. The men had applied to the non-jury Special Criminal Court on Jan 13 to have the charges against them dismissed. Two other defendants Iranian Saeid Hassani, 39, and Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, will stand trial on Feb 10 before the Special Criminal Court arising from the seizure of the cocaine. The two men were remanded in custody until then. A seventh man, Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, was previously arraigned on one of the two charges against him. Mr Lapa pleaded guilty that on dates between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, He attempted to possess cocaine for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying to another. Mr. Lapa was also facing a charge that between July 15 and Sep 23m 2023, both dates inclusive, within the state, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, that he participated in, or contributed to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members. Lapa was the only one of the accused men who did not make an application under the Criminal Procedure Act to have his case dismissed. The UK national Jamie Harbron, 31, has also pleaded guilty to an offence arising from the seizure. He will appear before the court later this year for a sentencing hearing. Mr. Harbron, of South Avenue in Billingham, pleaded guilty that on a date between Sep 21 and 25, 2023, both dates inclusive, he attempted to have cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale or supply, an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act.The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the 'Matthew' has an estimated value of more than €157 million.