GARDA IN AIRPORT 'TO SEE WHO MET ACCUSED'

A customs officer has told a drugs trial that a detective garda said
he was in Dublin Airport to see who might meet the accused, Mr Declan
Griffin, when he arrived on a flight from Amsterdam.

The court was told about cooperation between the customs service and
gardai when so-called "controlled deliveries" of drugs might be made,
but that prior notice would be given about such operations.

Mr Griffin denies importing heroin and ecstasy which then had a total
value of A31 million. Mr Kevin Murtagh told Dublin Circuit Criminal
Court that Det Garda Denis Palmer (now Det Sgt) first said he wanted
to see if a "Peter Dunne" would meet the accused and then said he
meant to say "Derek Dunne".

Another Customs and Excise official, Mr Patrick Lynch told prosecuting
counsel, Mr Paul Coffey, that the accused made no mention of Det Sgt
Palmer nor or any other garda during the 45 minutes he was with the
customs officials.

The witness agreed with defence counsel, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, he knew
Det Sgt Palmer and had seen him in the general customs area later that
evening after the drugs were seized.

Mr Lynch said Det Sgt Palmer commented to the effect that "he didn't
have that much, did he?" when told about four wrapped packages
containing heroin and ecstasy found in his luggage.

He agreed with counsel this could indicate Det Sgt Palmer knew the
accused would have drugs. Mr Murtagh told Mr Hartnett he had
discussions earlier that day with Det Sgt Noirin O'Sullivan (now Insp)
who asked customs personnel to inform her or Insp Mick Byrne of Mr
Griffin's arrival as it was intended to keep surveillance on him.

Mr Griffin (29), Bunratty Road, Coolock, pleads not guilty to a total
of six charges of possession of heroin and ecstasy for sale and
supply, and of importing heroin and ecstasy at Dublin Airport on
December 20th, 1995.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, has said Mr Griffin
was observed by customs officials carrying a plastic suit bag and
collecting two black hold-all bags which he placed on a baggage
trolley after he arrived from Amsterdam. Four packages of drugs were
removed from one of the bags. The packages had been tightly wrapped in
black adhesive tape.

Three packages contained 2,999.4 grams of heroin and the fourth 2,056
tablets of ecstasy. The street value of the drugs would now total A3500,000.

Mr Murtagh said prior notice would have been given of any such
operation and that was arranged at a more senior level.

There would have to be full trust between all the Customs and Garda
personnel involved in such an operation. It would appear from reading
newspapers in 1995 that there had been a breakdown in that trust but
that had not been the case between Santry Garda Station and the Dublin
Airport customs staff.

Mr Murtagh agreed with Mr Hartnett there had been four suspicious
telephone calls to the customs office. He heard airport noises in the
background when he answered a call and was directed by his superior,
Mr Seamus Mac an Ridire, to trawl the airport for gardai on
surveillance duty.

He said he came across Det Garda Palmer and reported back the
substance of their conversation to Mr Mac an Ridire.

Mr Murtagh told Mr Hartnett he believed there was some difficulty in
contacting Noirin O'Sullivan. He understood Mr Mac an Ridire contacted
a senior customs official, Mr Finbarr O'Leary, who was then told by
Insp Byrne there was no Garda operation on Mr Griffin, but he could
not recall how he came by that information.

Mr Lynch told Mr Coffey he was with Mr Mac an Ridire and Mr Murtagh
when he observed Mr Griffin pick two hold-all bags off the carousel
belt and put them on a luggage trolley, which he then pushed in the
direction of the "blue" channel.

He examined a hold-all bag and found the packages wrapped in adhesive
tape. He retrieved the airline tags. Mr Griffin made no reply when
asked what was in them. Mr Mac an Ridire slit open one of the
packages, which contained brown powder.

The trial before Judge Dominic Lynch is expected to continue for a
fortnight.