Two men flew from a small airport in northern France to Abbeyshrule Aerodrome in Co Longford on a plane carrying 120kg of cocaine, a jury has heard.
Michal Luczak (44), with an address at The Davitt, Dublin 12, faces four charges, including possession of cocaine, possession for sale or supply, and the importation of drugs.
The charges relate to the alleged transportation of cocaine valued at €8.4 million on August 4th, 2022.
Opening the trial on Wednesday, Cathal Ó Braonáin, prosecuting, said it will be the prosecution’s case that Mr Luczak, accompanied by another man, flew to northern France and then transported the drugs to Ireland via Abbeyshrule.
RM Block
The State will give evidence of Mr Luczak’s departure from Abbeyshrule Aerodrome on August 3rd and flight to Le Touquet airport in France, which is an airport with customs.
The two men stayed overnight before flying to Dieppe, a smaller airport “more akin to Abbeyshrule”, Mr Ó Braonáin said.
There it is alleged five large sports bags and one large suitcase were loaded on to the aircraft before the two men returned to Abbeyshrule, landing in the early evening of August 4th.
Garda surveillance was put in place that day, with the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and other units monitoring the aircraft.
Upon landing, it is alleged, the six bags were loaded into an Alpha Romeo owned by the other man, who was later intercepted and arrested by gardaí at Lough Owel.
The six bags were each found to contain 20 blocks wrapped in plastic.
Each of the 120 blocks was found to contain about a kilogram of cocaine, totalling 120kg, with a market value of €8.4 million.
Mr Luczak had left the airport in a black Mercedes but was stopped at Collinstown, Co Westmeath, and brought to a Garda station.
“In essence, he made admissions regarding the journey but denied knowledge regarding the contents of the bags,” said Mr Ó Braonáin.
The Cessna 182-S aircraft was part-owned by eight equal shareholders as part of a club including Mr Luczak, who held a 12.5 per cent share. Some of those part-owners were witnesses in the trial on Wednesday.
Each shareholder paid a €150 monthly fee to cover maintenance and insurance, plus €130 per hour for fuel and insurance.
The trial is set to last three to four weeks, with up to 50 prosecution witnesses expected to feature.
