State objects to bail surety for man allegedly linked to €60m cocaine
Ryan Dunne
A Dutch teacher who sold his house to provide an independent surety for a compatriot accused of conspiring to import close to €60 million worth of cocaine on Wednesday told the Special Criminal Court that he didn't know what offence his friend is charged with.
Challenging the independent surety offered for Ali Ghasemi Mazidi (50), counsel for the State, Dean Kelly SC, said the claim by 53-year-old David Kuiper was "preposterous and unbelievable". The court heard that Mr Kuiper had sold his house to provide the independent surety of €30,000 for Mr Mazidi to take up High Court bail.
Mazidi, with an address in the Netherlands, is one of 10 men before the courts charged that they conspired to do an act in the State that constitutes a serious offence, namely the importation of controlled drugs in excess of €13,000 on dates between February 27th and March 14th, 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State. The offence is contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
The 10 men were arrested by gardaí in March 2024 during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in west Cork, where a jeep, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation.
After gardaí intercepted the vehicles they discovered a large quantity of nautical equipment including satellite phones, GPS devices, radios and control panels and wetsuits.
A previous court sitting heard that the ship the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was attempting to “rendezvous” with passed an area in Denmark in mid-March. 840 kilos of cocaine valued at between €58 and €59 million was subsequently found washed up in the area.
Mazidi was previously granted bail in the High Court, on his own bond of €1,000 with an independent surety of €30,000.
Before the Special Criminal Court today, David Kuiper, a 53-year-old teacher from the Netherlands, told defence counsel, Michael O’Higgins SC, that he has known the accused for 20 years and would “put my trust in him”.
He said that he had sold his house to acquire the money for the surety for bail.
During cross-examination for the State by Mr Kelly, Mr Kuiper said that the accused was “a very close personal friend” to his wife. He said that he had spoken to the accused two times a week, by telephone and video call, since the accused went into custody.
Mr Kelly said that, as the witness lives in the Netherlands, he would not be living with Mr Mazidi if the accused were granted bail.
Counsel put it to the witness that Kuiper would therefore not be in a position to know if the accused were taking steps to flee the jurisdiction.
Mr Kuiper replied that he did not think Mazidi would do that.
In response to Mr Kelly’s question as to whether Kuiper was aware of what the accused was charged with, the witness replied that he was a suspect in “a big drugs case”.
In response to further questioning from Kelly as to his knowledge of the charges against the accused, Kuiper said that he and Mazidi “don’t talk about that”.
Kelly asked the witness whether he had asked for what alleged crime the accused had been charged, to which Kuiper replied: “Maybe, I don’t know.”
Travel plans
Kelly asked the witness if Mazidi had discussed his travel plans in February/March 2024, to which Kuiper said the accused had said he was going to visit his mother. Kuiper told the court that the accused did not mention he was going to visit Ireland.
“It seems he is not in the habit of sharing his travel plans with you, and yet you put up your €30,000 as surety,” said Kelly.
Kuiper replied that he could trust the accused.
Amin Mazidi, the brother of the accused, gave evidence that he was willing to act as surety for bail, but that Mr Kuiper was lending him the money. He said he would notify the Irish authorities if it came to his attention that the accused was breaching his bail conditions.
Closing submission
In his closing submission to the court, O’Higgins described Kuiper as “a respectable citizen”. Kelly, however, said that the court did not have details of Kuiper’s finances, nor did it have evidence of the movements in his bank account. He said it was “a preposterous and unbelievable suggestion” that Kuiper did not know what the accused was charged with, which had some bearing on the witness’s suitability as surety.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Paula Murphy, put the matter back to February 13th.
Seven of Mazidi’s co-accused have already entered guilty pleas to the charge against them. They are Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz (45) of no fixed abode but from Spain; Anuar Rahui Chairi (42) of Malaga in Spain; Aleksandar Milic (27) with an address in Belgrade in Serbia; Kiumaars Ghabiri (52) with an address in Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega (36) of Cadiz; and Angel Serran Padilla (40) of Malaga.
Mazidi, along with Sean Curran (37), with an address at Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh and Raul Tabares Garcia (48), of Cadiz in Spain, are still awaiting trial.
