Undercover garda gives evidence at drugs trial
26/03/2012 - 19:39:44A Polish undercover garda has told a trial how he posed as a drugs mule to catch an alleged international cocaine trafficker.
The garda, identified as UC2, used a false name when he met with a man known as Teemor who offered him €5,000 to travel to Brazil, swallow cocaine pellets and bring them back to Ireland.
The prosecution alleges that Teemor is Sunny Idah (aged 36), a Nigerian man with an address at Gerard House, Brown Street, London.
He has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two charges of soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine on dates between September 14 and 19, 2010.
UC2 told defence counsel John Byrne BL that he has been a garda for several years, has completed a specialist course in undercover work and can speak five languages.
He said that he assumed the identity of a drugs mule who had just flown into Ireland and was staying near the airport.
He and his undercover colleague, UC1, met Teemor outside the Regency Hotel by Dublin Airport on September 17, 2010. The conversations were being secretly recorded and remotely monitored by other gardai.
He said that when he and UC1 entered the car there was a Polish woman with Teemor. He said that they had a conversation in Polish and she asked him about where he was from and how long he had been working as a drugs mule.
He told her he had been doing it for three years and that it was “hard to get out”. She told him that he was “very brave.”
UC2 agreed with Mr Byrne that he “knew how to talk the talk” and could hold a conversation about “such matters”.
He also agreed that he was in a much better position than UC1 to convince the alleged drug trafficker of his identity because he could speak Polish.
The trial heard an audio recording of another meeting between Teemor and the undercover gardaí two days later.
During the meeting, UC1 asked Teemor where they will “do what we need to do” once in Brazil.
“To make sure it is a good place where no one will find us with the cocaine,” UC1 said to Teemor.
Teemor assured them there would be “no problem.”
The trial continues before Judge Desmond Hogan and a jury of three women and eight men.
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