Eight men jailed over €157 million cocaine shipment after Army Rangers board MV Matthew

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

Eight men were jailed for roles in trying to smuggle 2.2 tonnes of cocaine, valued at more than €157 million, aboard the MV Matthew. The Special Criminal Court sentenced them on 4 July, after they had pleaded guilty to offences arising from the seizure.

The court imposed prison terms of 20 years for Cumali Ozgen, 18 years for Harold Estoesta, 17½ years for Soheil Jelveh, 16½ years for Vitaliy Vlasoi, 15 years for Saeid Hassani, 14 years for Mykhailo Gavryk, 14½ years for Vitaliy Lapa and 13½ years for Jamie Harbron.

The cocaine was seized in September 2023 after Army Rangers boarded the vessel at sea. The crew had tried to set the drugs on fire, but the rangers extinguished the flames and preserved the evidence. The court heard the shipment was intended for transfer to a second vessel, the Castlemore, which missed the rendezvous and ran aground.

The sentencing judge said the operation’s international reach, the quantity and value of the drugs, and the group’s planning and technical sophistication aggravated the offending. She also considered mitigating factors, including the defendants’ guilty pleas and personal circumstances.