Eight men jailed for combined 129 years over €157m cocaine seizure

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Eight men were jailed for a combined 129 years over their roles in an operation involving 2.2 tonnes of cocaine seized from the MV Matthew, valued at €157 million, the Special Criminal Court heard. The court imposed sentences ranging from 13 and a half to 20 years.

Cumali Ozgen received the longest sentence, 20 years. The other sentences were 18 years for Harold Estoesta, 17 and a half years for Soheil Jelveh, 16 and a half years for Vitaliy Vlasoi, 15 years for Saeid Hassani, 14 years for Mykhailo Gavryk, 14 and a half years for Vitaliy Lapa and 13 and a half years for Jamie Harbron.

The six men found aboard the MV Matthew pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply between 24 and 26 September 2023. Lapa and Harbron pleaded guilty to attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply between 21 and 25 September 2023.

The court said the operation was directed by an organised crime group based in Dubai and treated its international reach, the quantity and value of the drugs, and the defendants’ roles as aggravating factors. Their guilty pleas and individual mitigating circumstances were also considered when the court reduced the headline sentences.