GARDA DENIES ASKING INFORMANT ABOUT HANDLER

A detective has denied asking an informant, accused of importing drugs
valued at pounds 1 million, what went on between him and his Garda handler
the previous night.

Det Insp Tim Mulvey denied he had a conversation with Mr Declan Griffin
about Det Sgt (then Garda) Denis Palmer and that he had asked him: "What
the hell went on between you and Denis last night?" to which Mr Griffin
replied: "I'd rather see Denny."

He also denied that towards the end of the interview he had said to Mr
Griffin: "If that's the case, Denis will sort it out."

Mr Griffin (29), of Bunratty Road, Coolock, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty
to six drug 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 were in four packages recovered from luggage collected by Mr
Griffin at the airport on his return from a trip to Amsterdam.

The jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has been told that Mr Griffin was
a Garda informant for some years and had made two mobile phonecalls from
Amsterdam to Det Sgt Palmer, who was at the airport when Mr Griffin arrived
back on a flight.

Gardai and Customs officers have given evidence that Mr Griffin did not
mention Det Sgt Palmer to them at any time during his detention at Dublin
Airport and later at Santry Garda Station, and did not mention the Garda
National Drugs Unit, or that he was an informant acting under the
instructions of the unit.

Gardai have also denied in evidence that the drugs importation was "a sting
operation" being run by them. Customs officers said they would have been
alerted in advance about such an operation involving a "controlled
delivery". An operation like that would have to be cleared at a high level.

Garda Christopher Elliot, who arrested Mr Griffin at the airport after his
detention by Customs, said he did not find out he was a Garda informant
until the day afterwards. "He was interviewed for eight hours and had ample
opportunities to tell gardai but said nothing," he said.

Det Insp Mulvey said he had never experienced bad feeling between gardai
and Customs. He was replying to an assertion by Mr Hugh Hartnett SC,
defending, that a liaison officer had been appointed in 1996 after this
incident to prevent further " botch-ups" between gardai and Customs.

He agreed with Mr Hartnett that during Mr Griffin's detention, it was
"unusual" that he had spoken to him for 75 minutes in the interview room
but said it was not "extraordinary".

Det Insp Mulvey did not reply when Mr Hartnett put it to him that the trial
seemed to be dogged by a massive lack of curiosity on the part of gardai.

He said he was aware that Mr Griffin had received 36-40 stitches after his
face had been sliced in prison. He agreed with Mr Hartnett that the
relationship between an agent and an informer was one of trust and secrecy
or "your throat would get cut".

Insp (then Sgt) James Hynes told Mr Denis Vaughn Buckley SC, prosecuting,
that he had known for a couple of months before the airport incident that
Mr Griffin was an "agent" for Det Sgt Palmer and that they had been in
contact that day. He did not accompany Det Insp Mulvey into the interview
room as he had to attend to duties unrelated to the seizure.

Asked why a group of gardai were sitting around at the station talking
about Det Sgt Palmer's presence at the airport but that no one had
contacted him (Palmer), he replied: "It was well known Griffin was an agent
for Det Sgt Palmer."

The hearing continues.