A detective denied he had authorised his informant to carry drugs from Amsterdam to Dublin Airport for a £10,000 fee in 1995. Det Sgt Denis Palmer denied he had any conversation with his informant about importing drugs and said he was "shell-shocked" when he learned the accused man had been detained with drugs valued at £1 million.
Mr Declan Griffin (29), Bunratty Road, Coolock, has pleaded not guilty to six charges of possession of heroin and ecstasy for sale and supply and importing heroin and ecstasy at Dublin Airport on December 20th, 1995. The drugs consisted of 2,999.4 grams of heroin and 2,056 tablets of ecstasy, which were in four packages recovered from luggage collected by the accused man at the airport on his return from Amsterdam.
Det Insp Cathal Cryan told prosecuting counsel Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that he and Det Sgt Palmer met Mr Griffin in the Phoenix Park after the airport incident. He went there to get information about another serious crime, which was totally unrelated and about which the accused man was well informed.
There was a clear pre-arrangement that Det Sgt Palmer was not to speak to Mr Griffin and witness was to get the information he wanted in strict confidence. He said Det Sgt Palmer left the car to go to the toilet and returned with scratched hands and face after a fall. Mr Griffin made no mention of what happened at the airport but discussed the methodology of the purpose of his purchase of drugs in Amsterdam.
Det Insp Cryan said he remembered Mr Griffin had mentioned a third party who gave him cash to travel, buy and pay for two kilograms of heroin in Amsterdam. He also vaguely remembered £40,000 mentioned and that Mr Griffin went to a contact with whom he succeeded in striking "an excellent deal" by getting 3 kg for £36,000.
Det Insp Cryan said Mr Griffin made no comment, complaint or mention in the car of a "controlled delivery" or of bringing drugs to Det Sgt Palmer.
Cross-examined by Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, witness said he became aware of the airport incident through gossip in the force. Det Insp Cryan made no reply when asked by Mr Hartnett whether it was a coincidence that Mr Griffin made admissions in the car at the precise time Det Sgt Palmer had fallen down a hole in the Phoenix Park.
He denied Mr Hartnett's suggestion that he had lied and that Det Sgt Palmer "had gone walkabout or indeed fall-about" from the car so he could make inquiries with the accused man. Mr Hartnett put to him that Det Sgt Palmer was being accused by the defence of facilitating the importation of heroin and asked why he did not tell Det Sgt Palmer what he was going to say in evidence. "I would have thought I did," he replied.
Earlier, in his continued cross-examination, Det Sgt Palmer denied Mr Hartnett's assertion that he knew the accused man had carried large sums of money three or four times to Amsterdam for criminals. He had never been told that by Mr Griffin.
Det Sgt Palmer agreed he had asked the accused man to try to find out the registered numbers of vehicles which were being used to transport drugs into Ireland. He wanted him to get as much detail on these as he could without endangering his life.
He was not aware that Mr Griffin left Ireland on December 19th, 1995, with money organised by criminals. He couldn't recall if they were in contact on December 19th but would not be surprised if they were. They had regular contact.
Asked to explain why he stated in his official report "this involvement may well be misconstrued by others", Det Sgt Palmer said: "Griffin was my informer and I felt it would be best if someone else dealt with him and arrested him on the night."
The hearing continues before Judge Frank O'Donnell and a jury in the Circuit Criminal Court.