Three Ukrainian sailors convicted in Ireland for smuggling 2 tons of cocaine

Six men, including three Ukrainians, detained on board the MV Matthew cargo ship with 2.2 tons of cocaine, and two others who tried to deliver the drugs to another ship in the Irish Sea, were sentenced to a total of 129 years in prison.

According to The Irish Times, the value of the seized goods was estimated at 157 million euros.

The longest sentence was handed down to Dutch citizen Kumali Ozgen, who received 20 years in prison. According to Judge Melanie Grilli, it was he who had the closest ties to the Dubai-based criminal cell that organized and financed the operation.

Ukrainians Mykhailo Havryk, Vitaliy Vlasoi and Vitaliy Lapa were sentenced to 14, 14.5 and 16.5 years in prison, respectively. Vitaliy Lapa, from Berdiansk, and Jamie Harbron, from Billingham, England, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine with intent to sell or otherwise transfer to another person in a place in the state between September 21 and 25, 2023.

The MV Matthew was originally scheduled to 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 run aground.

As the Matthew tried to escape capture, members of the Irish Army Rangers were lowered from a helicopter to the ship's deck using rope ladders. The crew tried to set the drugs on fire, but the rangers extinguished the flames and saved the evidence. One of the rangers, a former navy officer, directed the ship to Cork harbor.

Meanwhile, in Odesa, a court sentenced members of the world-famous Ndrangheta criminal organization who were found guilty of drug smuggling and sale. It was a consignment of cocaine that was detained in August 2021 at the Pivdennyi port. They were planning to smuggle the drugs in transit through Ukraine to a foreign country. A week later, law enforcement officers seized another batch of cocaine at the port. A total of 120 kilograms worth $20 million.

Кирило Бойко