An English national has claimed he was forced to smuggle a £400,000 consignment of heroin to Ireland when a gangland figure threatened to kill a member of his family.
Mr Spencer Byrne (33), who is originally from Coventry, but lived in the US for two years, is pleading not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of heroin with intent to supply.
Mr Byrne and another man, Mr Terry Healy, were caught with the drugs when gardai raided their room in the Aston Hotel in Dublin city centre on April 14th, 2000. Mr Healy died on remand on this charge.
Det Garda John Heaney, from the North Central Divisional Drug Unit, told Mr Sean McGinn, prosecuting, that when they searched the hotel room - as a result of a tip-off - they found the men along with the two kilos of heroin.
The accused, in evidence, said he was coerced into smuggling the drugs by Mr Healy, who was originally from Ireland.
Mr Byrne told Mr Patrick Marrinan SC, (with Mr Padraig Dwyer BL), defending, that he had fled to the US some years ago after Mr Healy blamed him for stealing money. He lived in Fort Lauderdale but was in constant contact with his family.
He told Mr Marrinan that Mr Healy was a "serious villain" and he believed he was capable of shooting one of his relatives in revenge for the stolen money.
When he telephoned his mother on one occasion she said "they know our movements". He said he later phoned an ex-girlfriend in Australia, who told him Mr Healy had contacted her to trace his whereabouts. Two days after Christmas 1999, he went to a pub in Fort Lauderdale and saw Mr Healy sitting at the end of the bar. "I thought I would be shot there and then," he said.
Mr Byrne said Mr Healy wanted him to work as a courier and smuggle drugs as repayment of his debt. Mr Healy returned to England after some weeks and wired over £800 sterling for Mr Byrne's flights.
Mr Byrne said he considered alerting the FBI to try to get Mr Healy arrested for possession of heroin, but if he had his family could have been put in more danger.
He said he was told about the plan to come to Ireland on April 13th, 2000. He and Mr Healy flew to Dublin airport and then went to the hotel. He was very nervous on the night and had a lot to drink.
His apprehension, he said, was based on the fact that he was carrying so much heroin and he thought Mr Healy might try to kill him.
The accused said that when they were arrested he did not tell gardai about the threats on his life and the lives of his family members because he knew Mr Healy would get bail and act on those threats.
However, after Mr Healy died on remand, the danger to his family had been removed and he claimed he had an off-the-record interview with a detective in which he told him about the threats.
He told Mr Marrinan that he would not have been involved in the operation if his family had not been threatened.
The trial continues before Judge Dominic Lynch and a jury.