The sentence hearing of 8 men involved in the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the state is underway

The sentence hearing of eight men involved in the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the state is underway.

They’ve all pleaded guilty to offences arising from the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of the drug on board the MV Matthew which was first spotted off Wexford coast in 2023. Three Ukranians in their 30s and 60s, two Iranians in their 50s and 30s, a 31-year-old Filipino, a 49-year-old Dutch national and a 31-year-old man from the UK are appearing before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.They’re being sentenced for charges relating to the seizure of 157-million-euro worth of cocaine in Irish waters in September of 2023. As part of the hearing, the court has been shown evidence of correspondence between the crew on board the ship, and a smaller boat. The messages outline plans to transfer the drugs from the larger vessel to the smaller boat. Conversations shown in court discussed the deteriorating weather conditions and show how the plans fell through.The MV Matthew sailed towards Cork on September 26th 2023, following contact with the coast-guard.The sentence hearing continues this afternoon.