Two men who were caught with just over €1.4 million worth of cocaine, which was hidden in a hydraulic press in a van transporting furniture, have both been jailed for ten years.
54 year old Vaidas Venckunas of no fixed abode pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having drugs for sale or supply and having the proceeds of crime, €1,855, at Carlton Hotel, Tyrrelstown, Co. Dublin on February 20, 2025.
50 year old Darius Cepulis of Kilcogy, Cavan, was convicted following a trial last February in relation to having the drugs for sale or supply on the same date.
Detective Garda Peter Morris told George Burns BL, prosecuting, that gardaí set up a surveillance operation following a tip-off. A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van was identified as a vehicle of interest and followed by gardaí after travelling by ferry from Cherbourg, France, to Rosslare, Co. Wexford. The vehicle was kept under observation until it parked up at a hotel in Tyrrelstown around 4pm that afternoon.
Gardaí saw Mr Cepulis get out of the van and go into the hotel until he returned with Mr Venckunas, and the packages were transferred from the van into another vehicle. Gardaí moved in and arrested both men and seized both vehicles.
The Sprinter van was found to contain mostly furniture but also had a hydraulic press and had been freshly painted. Gardaí suspected drugs would be concealed within the vehicle and later found the drugs, 20kg of cocaine, hidden in the hydraulic press.
A search of the hotel room revealed vacuum-packed cash and three mobile phones, including what was described as "an encrypted phone".
The drugs were analysed and found to be worth an estimated €1.4 million euro. Venckunas's fingerprints were found on the cash.
Cepulis told gardaí he had been delivering furniture to Ireland. He said he was surprised there were drugs in the van. Venckunas told gardaí he was to receive €8,000 for delivering the items in the van. He later admitted the encrypted phone had been given to him by "a man in Armagh". He claimed he was afraid he would be killed if he assisted any further. He said his wife had breast cancer and he felt he had no choice but to get involved.
Det Gda Morris agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending Cepulis, that his client did not have any encrypted phones. He had been working in the delivery business since 2012 and had begun freelancing in that area, travelling to many countries.
Passing sentence today, Judge Martina Baxter said the aggravating factors in this case for both men were the pre-planning involved and that this was a multi-jurisdiction operation. She also highlighted the scourge drugs have on individuals, both nationally and internationally.
Judge Baxter sentenced Venckunas to 10 years in prison for possession of drugs for sale or supply and five years in prison for money laundering; both sentences are to run concurrently. The judge backdated to the date he went into custody.
With regards to Cepulis, Judge Baxter sentenced him to ten years in prison and backdated to when he went into custody.
