A GARDA spokeswoman last night refused to comment on the acquittal of Garda informant Mr Declan Griffin on charges that he imported £1 million of drugs in 1995.
Mr Griffin told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the importation of the drugs from Amsterdam to Dublin Airport had been cleared by his Garda "handler", Det Sgt Denis Palmer.
Asked if there would be a Garda inquiry into Mr Griffin's allegation that Det Sgt Palmer had facilitated the importation of heroin and ecstasy, the spokeswoman said the force could not comment on the case until it was decided whether it would be appealed.
Mr Griffin told the court earlier this week that his association with Det Sgt Palmer had begun when he was arrested in 1993 by gardai from Coolock station. He said Det Sgt Palmer had released him on £1,000 cash bail and said he would "look after" the charges against him. The charges were dropped in exchange for information on petty crime.
He said shortly after his contact with Det Sgt Palmer he was asked by a person involved in drugs to bring money to Amsterdam. Det Sgt Palmer told him to "do it" and to find out about drugdealing.
Det Sgt Palmer told the court that he thought he was meeting Mr Griffin at the airport to receive information about another unrelated drug matter and was horrified when he found that Mr Griffin had been detained with drugs.
Det Sgt Palmer agreed that he had dropped charges against Mr Griffin but said other detectives had agreed that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution and to drop the charges in exchange for information. He agreed in court that he was wrong not to have contacted the Director of Public Prosecutions about dropping the charges.
Gardai and customs officers said Mr Griffin had not mentioned Det Sgt Palmer during his detention at Dublin Airport and later at Santry Garda station.
Mr Griffin told the court: "I was waiting at Santry Garda station for Det Sgt Palmer to turn up and sort it all out, but when I saw the gates of Mountjoy I realised Denis was not going to save me now; he's thrown me to the wolves to try and save himself."
