Four men who affirmed signed pleas of guilty in relation to the importation of 440kg of cocaine worth €31 million at Courtmacsherry in West Cork last year will be sentenced in May.
BY OLIVIA KELLEHER
Mark Doherty (40), Ben Sandford (39), Christopher Hibbett (45), and Levant Gulay (31), appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday.
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The men were arrested in July 2025 following an operation which involved gardaí, the Naval Service and customs.
All four accused were initially charged with possession of cocaine and possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Meelmane, Courtmacsherry, Co Cork on July 1st 2025.
They were subsequently charged with a further offence of possession of more than €13,000 worth of cocaine for sale or supply. They were also charged with the importation of drugs contrary to the Misuse of Drugs 1984, at Meelmane on July 1st 2025.
Doherty of Waterfront Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland and Gulay of Schwabenstrabe Neu Ulm Bavaria, were also charged with possession of Motorola and Google phones in connection with committing a criminal offence.
Hibbett of Lower Park, Truro, Cornwall, UK and Sandford of Woodgreen, Keith, Moray, Scotland were also each charged with possession of a rib in connection with the commission of an offence. The offences occurred on same date of July 1st, 2025.
On Tuesday all four men affirmed their signed pleas of guilty in relation to all five charges.
Donal O’Sullivan, SC, on behalf of the State made an application to have the sentencing for all four men adjourned until May 12th.
He said the sentencing hearing would consist of a PowerPoint presentation by gardaí. O’Sullivan said the evidence would involve ‘a lot of threads’.
He told Judge Helen Boyle that the sentencing hearing could last up to two hours.
All four men were further remanded in custody for sentencing on May 12th. Probation and Governor’s reports will be prepared in the interim for Hibbett, Sandford and Doherty. A probation report will also be prepared for Gulay.
All four men only spoke during the brief hearing to confirm their decision to affirm their signed pleas.
