MV Matthew: Two men played 'essential part' in drug trafficking operation, State tells court

TWO MEN WHO have gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court after the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history played an “essential part” in a “highly professional international drug trafficking operation”, the State alleges.

The men have gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court, where they deny having the 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for sale or supply on board the Panamanian cargo ship in what was the largest such seizure in Irish history.

In his opening speech in the trial of Iranian Saeid Hassani (39) and Filipino Harold Estoesta (31), counsel for the State Sean Guerin SC told the non-jury court that the ship was interdicted after an operation by a joint task force comprising of members of the Revenue Customs Service, Naval Service and An Garda Síochána.

Describing the MV Matthew vessel, Guerin said it is a bulk carrier ship or cargo ship used to transport products such as grain.

The ship, which was previously known as ‘Honmon’, is 190 metres long and 32 metres wide and while it was sailing under the flag of Panama, it was owned by a Dubai-based company known as ‘Symphony Marine’.

“It will be clear to the court that the change of name and relevantly recent change of ownership and the crewing of it very shortly before the transatlantic voyage were all just small parts of a very sophisticated, complex and highly professional international drug trafficking operation,” Guerin said.

“The [two] accused played only a part; nonetheless each had a very important, indeed an essential part,” Guerin told the court.

He said the captain was Iranian Soheil Jelveh and the chief officer (second in charge) was Ukrainian national Vitaliy Vlasoi.

Jelveh, he said, had remained in control of the vessel until September 25 2023, when he was medically evacuated by the Irish coast guard and replaced by Vlasoi.

Counsel said the court will hear that after Jelveh was evacuated, taken to hospital and arrested, a number of encrypted telephone devices were found in his possession.

An analysis revealed communications between him and others not on board the ship about arrangements for the transportation of the controlled drugs and the delivery of those drugs to a fishing vessel called the ‘Castlemore’.

Guerin said there was a WhatsApp group between other officers of the ship’s crew not including Jelveh and others not on board the vessel – which was referred to as the “deck officers group”.

Guerin said there were two second officers on board the MV Matthews – Ukrainian Mykhailo Gavryk and one of the accused men on trial – Harold Estoesta.

He said that Estoesta was in communication with the “deck officers WhatsApp group” and a significant part of the case against him relates to the communications directly between him and persons not on the vessel in relation to “multiple aspects in arrangements of the transportation of the drugs and in particular for the concealment of those activities from others”.

According to Guerin, the third officer on the vessel was the second accused Saeid Hassani, who was also party to the “deck officers WhatsApp group”. In his case, counsel said there would also be evidence of direct channels of communication to others off the vessel.

The non-jury court also heard that it was the State’s case that the communications made very clear what knowledge Hassani had and the role he played in organising the logistics of the transfer of the drugs from the MV Matthew to the other vessel.

The barrister will continue his opening speech after lunchtime today before Ms Justice Melanie Greally presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.

Four co-accused – Ukrainians Mykhailo Gavryk (32) and Vitaliy Vlasoi (32), Iranian Soheil Jelveh (51), and Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49) – last week pleaded guilty to similar offences connected to the seizure.

The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, has an estimated value of more than €157 million.

The ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023.

Hassani and Estoesta were arraigned before the Special Criminal Court yesterday, where they pleaded not guilty to charges for drug trafficking offences at sea contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 1994 yesterday in the Special Criminal Court.