INFORMANT ACTED 'DISHONESTLY'

A detective told a jury his informant acted "dishonestly" with him by
importing more than 1 million pounds worth of drugs on a trip from
Amsterdam in 1995.

Det Sgt Denis Palmer said he thought he was meeting Mr Declan Griffin at
Dublin Airport to receive information about another unrelated drug matter.
He said: "If he brought drugs into Dublin and I had not cleared it with my
superior it would be in breach of everything that I ever stood for in 20
years".

He agreed with Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, he had said in a report he
was not aware whether Mr Griffin "had made a statement or attempted to make
exculpatory verbal statements, but in view of his obvious dishonesty it
would not surprise me if he had attempted to vindicate himself".

Det Sgt Palmer told Mr Hartnett he stated this after a Customs officer, Mr
Seamus Mac an Ridire, informed him Mr Griffin was found in possession of
the drugs but denied he owned the luggage.

He denied a further suggestion that the reference to "vindicate himself"
meant he was aware at some stage that Mr Griffin was going to "spill the
beans" about this Garda operation unless this case was dropped against him.

Mr Griffin (29), Bunratty Road, Coolock, has pleaded not guilty to six
charges of possession of heroin and ecstasy for sale and supply and
importing heroin and ecstasy at Dublin Airport on December 20th, 1995. The
drugs consisted of 2,999.4 grams of heroin and 2,056 tablets of ecstasy,
which were in four packages recovered from luggage collected by the accused
at the airport on his return from a trip to Amsterdam.

Det Sgt Palmer agreed with Mr Hartnett he had "struck out" a number of
charges that Mr Griffin had been arrested for on foot of warrants on his
return from England in 1993. He had spoken to other detectives and they
agreed there was "insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution" and to
"drop" the charges in exchange for "information".

He said he acknowledged he was wrong not to have contacted the DPP after Mr
Hartnett reminded him that it was the DPP's function and not his to strike
out charges. He told Mr Hartnett four phone calls made to the Customs
office were nothing to do with Mr Griffin but to arrange to have coffee
with Mr Mac an Ridire.

He did not agree with Mr Hartnett's assertion that the calls were so "out
of the ordinary" that the Customs had made a "sweep of the airport looking
for gardai".

Asked why he did not knock at Mr Mac an Ridire's office positioned less
than 10 yards away, he said he had tried to phone. He denied the suggestion
he was at the airport surveying the Customs office and that he
"high-tailed" it from the airport.

The trial continues today.