A Polish pilot was arrested at the Irish airport of Abbeyshrule airport for smuggling large amounts of cocaine. 

Investigators say that the criminal group, a part of which was the Polish pilot, suffered „a huge loss”. The Polish pilot was denied bail.

Both men were spotted carrying numerous suspicious bags from a Cessna plane to a car parked nearby, which then left the airport. The latter was soon found by the police. It was loaded with 120 kilograms of cocaine, worth €8.4 million.

The Pole and his partner were arrested and taken to the Ashbourne Garda station, where they were interrogated until Saturday night. The Pole was accused of possessing cocaine for sale and delivery at the Abbeyshrule airport. 

The Polish pilot applied for bail, but the police objected to it, arguing that the accused might be trying to escape, among other things, given the lack of specific ties linking him to Ireland.

The defendant had a single-engine license and had no definitive ties to Ireland.

In addition to the drugs, investigators also seized the Cessna plane used by the smugglers to transport it. 

Image: Unsplash

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen