TWO JAILED OVER ATTEMPT TO SHIP DRUGS TO BRITAIN

Two members of a gang which was involved in an attempt to ship large
amounts of amphetamine sulphate and cocaine to Britain were sentenced
yesterday at Naas Circuit Court in Co Kildare.

Wilrik Schippers (39), a Dutch national, and Paul David Kenny (33), of
Ashbourne Road, Duleek, Co Meath, were sentenced to 10 and six years,
respectively, by Judge Gerard Matthews after they pleaded guilty to
possession of drugs worth IEP13 million last November. Both men had
the final two years of their sentences suspended.

The street value of the amphetamine, or "speed", and cocaine found in
a red Datsun stopped on the Dublin road was originally estimated at
IEP8 million. However, a senior Garda source said that the 97kg of
speed and the 4kg of cocaine were found to be 70 per cent pure, one of
the highest purities ever in synthetic drugs seized in the State.

Kenny was arrested at Moy valley, Co Kildare, on November 7th, after
he was stopped by gardai and the drugs were found in the car.
Schippers was arrested at a pub in Enfield, Co Meath. The men had been
under surveillance in a Garda National Drugs Unit initiative code
named "Operation Woodbine".

The two are believed to have been part of an Anglo-Irish gang with
Dutch connections and the drugs were destined for the British market.
The drugs, in powder form, had been shipped to Ireland and were being
stored near Enfield. They were bound for Britain when the men were
arrested.

When Kenny was charged with two counts of possession and possession
with intent to supply, he replied: "Guilty. It was going out of the
country."

Schippers, said to be a senior member of the gang, had a number of
minor convictions for burglary and housebreaking in Holland.

Kenny was described by a senior Garda source as a minor "donkey" in
the operation. The consignment, which would have cost the gang about
IEP1 million, is believed to have come from Amsterdam.

"Operation Woodbine" involved co-operation between the gardai and the
Dutch police. About 15 members of the Garda National Drugs Unit and
eight Dutch police officers took part in it.

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"