Cocaine with a street value of €105m seized in Limerick was hidden under beds

THE €21m worth of cocaine discovered on a ship in Foynes Port last Christmas was “pure” and its potential street value was over €105m, a court has heard.

A Bulgarian national was before Limerick Criminal Circuit Court this Monday in connection with the largest drugs seizure ever in Limerick.

Kamen Petkov, aged 36, of Apartment 15, Varna Street, Vladaskav, Varrevciuk, 131 Bulgaria has pleaded guilty to the importation of €21,604,891 worth of cocaine; possession of cocaine for sale or supply and possession of cocaine at Foynes Port on December 19, 2023.

Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by State solicitor Brendan Gill, outlined the evidence with the assistance of Detective Garda Adrian Cahill.

Garda Cahill said Customs had received confidential information regarding the MV Verila, sailing under a Maltese flag, due to come into the port at Foynes on December 19, 2023.

The court heard 12 bales of cocaine, broken up into 306 packages, weighed 308.6 kilos (pictured below).

The drugs were found in an air-conditioned room on the “poop deck” of the ship. Mr Petkov had told gardai he had hid the cocaine under beds in empty cabins during the voyage that started in Brazil, travelled to Canada before crossing the Atlantic for Foynes.

Ms Buckley said the cocaine was valued at €21,604,891.

Garda Cahill said: “It was directly from source - pure cocaine. It had a potential value of up to five times that amount on the street.”

Port security in Brazil approached Mr Petkov to bring cocaine on board and he was to receive €150,000, the court heard. The accused later told gardai he was sorry he didn’t ask for half of the payment “up front”.

Ms Buckley said the cocaine was brought on the vessel with life jackets, a light beacon and sophisticated tracking device. 

“Mr Petkov said it was tied with knots that were complicated for him to be able to do. His DNA was found on the light beacon,” said Ms Buckley.

The court heard that evidence was found on Mr Petkov’s phone of a location by Hamilton Tower, near Glin Pier, where the accused was to throw the cocaine overboard when instructed to do so. It was then to be collected in the Shannon Estuary.

Garda Cahill said this was a strategic location as it is a calm stretch of water.

“He was involved in the loading, had full control of the drugs on the ship, was the point of contact with the supplier and was unloading the cocaine at the drop off point. He was fully in charge,” said Garda Cahill.

Ms Buckley said Mr Petkov became “suspicious” when they reached the drop-off point and there was no one there to collect it.

“They waited for an hour and a half before putting the cocaine back in the air conditioned room,” said Ms Buckley.

The prosecuting barrister said that Mr Petkov made admissions during garda interviews and has no previous convictions in Bulgaria or Ireland. Mr Petkov told gardai he had a gambling issue.

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Mark Nicholas SC, defending, said that Brazilian security forces asked his client to turn a blind eye as the cocaine was brought on board, has a significant gambling addiction and answered all the gardai’s questions.

Counsel said these admissions were "critical" to the investigation. He added that Mr Petkov hasn’t received the money.

Mr Nicholas asked Judge Colin Daly to take into account his client’s early guilty plea, admissions, gambling debt which has a certain amount of fear attached to it, positive probation report and serving his sentence in Ireland far away from loved ones and with poor English. A Bulgarian interpreter sat beside Mr Petkov during the sentencing hearing.

Mr Nicholas asked the judge to “fix a fair sentence”.

Judge Daly said he is going to reserve his judgment today and pass sentence on Tuesday.