Man pleads guilty over €8.5m ‘flown in’ coke
Seizure followed the monitoring of plane by drugs officers
A MAN has pleaded guilty over a seizure of about €8.5million of cocaine allegedly flown into the country in 2022.
Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau officers, supported by other units, monitored a
Cessna single-engine aircraft landing at Abbeyshrule Aerodrome, Co Longford, on August 4, 2022.
They later intercepted two vehicles in the Lough Owel area in Co Westmeath, recovering 120kg of cocaine from one car.
Gardai arrested Tim Gilchrist, 56, of Mavis Bank, Newrath, Waterford, and pilot Michal Luczak, 43, a Polish national formerly with an address at Primrose Avenue, Jigginstown, Naas, and now living in Skerries, Dublin.
Mr Gilchrist, who has never applied for bail since his arrest, appeared again for arraignment before Judge Keenan Johnson at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
He is accused of possessing drugs worth €13,000 or more for sale or supply at Lough Owel on the date of his arrest.
Dressed in a grey tracksuit, Gilchrist confirmed his name and replied “guilty” when the charge was put to him.
John Hayden BL, prosecuting, said the value of the drugs in the case was about €8.5m.
Michael O’higgins SC, defending, said Gilchrist had no prior convictions.
He applied for an adjournment to prepare documentation about his client’s good character for the next hearing.
Judge Johnson remanded Mr Gilchrist in custody to appear again on July 2 for sentence but did not think it necessary to seek a probation report at this stage. Co-accused Mr Luczak, is charged with the same offence but at a different location, the Abbeyshrule Aerodrome.
The father-of-two remains on bail and already indicated he would plead not guilty. His case was adjourned until April 9.