THREE ENGLISHMAN went on trial in Cork yesterday on charges relating to the largest drugs haul in the history of the State when gardaí and Customs recovered €108 million worth of cocaine from the sea near Mizen Head last summer.
Martin Wanden (45), Joe Daly (41) and Perry Wharrie (48) are each charged with three offences arising from the discovery of more than 1,500kg of cocaine contained in some 62 bales recovered from the sea off west Cork last July.
The drugs were recovered in choppy seas by gardaí and Customs officers backed up by local cliff and coastal search units from Goleen with assistance from the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and both Castletownbere and Baltimore RNLI lifeboats.
Yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Mr Wanden, of no fixed abode, Mr Daly, from Carrisbrooke Avenue, Bexley, Kent, and Mr Wharrie, from Pyrles Lane, Loughton, Essex, all pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on the three charges.
All three are charged with possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine for sale or supply, and possessing more than €13,000 worth of cocaine for sale or supply at Dunlough Bay, Mizen Head, Bantry on July 2nd, 2007.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin was told by prosecution counsel Tom Creed SC, instructed by State Solicitor for west Cork Malachy Boohig, that the State’s case against the three men included statements from some 577 witnesses and between 1,200 and 1,300 exhibits.
Questioned by Judge Ó Donnabháin as to the likely duration of the case, Mr Creed said that the trial could take up to 10 weeks to hear. Defence counsels Blaise O’Carroll SC, for Mr Daly, and Tim O’Leary SC, for Mr Wharrie, both agreed.
Judge Ó Donnabháin said he would warn any potential jurors from west Cork to identify themselves as coming from the area so they could be excluded from trying the case.
A small number of people called to serve on the jury were excused by Judge Ó Donnabháin when they revealed that they had links with the Mizen area and west Cork.
It took 50 minutes to select a jury of nine men and three women after a number of other jurors revealed that they would have difficulty attending a 10-week trial because of holiday commitments. The jury was sworn in and the case was adjourned to Monday at 10.30am.