Three men were sentenced to 10 years each today over a €400 million drugs smuggling operation foiled by gardaí, naval service and customs officers off the west Cork coast last year.
David Mufford (44) from Torquay, Devon; Philip Doo (52) from Brixham, Devon, and Christopher Wiggins (42) with an address at Estepona, Malaga, Spain, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply on board the sloop, Dances with Waves on November 5th last.
They were sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court this morning by Judge Patrick Moran noted that all three had pleaded guilty at an early stage, had co-operated with the Garda, had no previous convictions and had provided material assistance to authorities.
However, he said he also had to take into account enormous quantity of cocaine that totalled 1,504 kilograms and with street value of €400 million.
He said he dreaded to think the "havoc" it would have caused to citizens of the UK had the consignment made it through to its destination - Carnavon Bay off Holyhead.
The drugs were collected by the three men on board Danes with Waves off the Venuezelan coast on October 3rd last year.
Today’s sentences were backdated to November 7th when the men were taken into custody and their names will also be put on a drugs register for seven years after release.
