A judge today further remanded in custody a mother and daughter accused of possessing €1.28m worth of cannabis at Shannon airport two days before Christmas Day.
At their third court appearance, Judge Alec Gabbett further remanded in custody, Dovil Reifonaite, (40), and Migle Kurieniute, (20), both with an address at Newlands, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, for two weeks.
The two were appearing in court via video link from the women’s prison at Limerick prison.
The two have spent the Christmas and New Year period in custody after they failed to secure bail at a special court sitting in Limerick on Christmas Eve.
Each accused is charged with one count of possession of cannabis for sale or supply, as well as one count of possession of cannabis.
Solicitor for the two, John Casey told the court previously that he was waiting for the Christmas holidays to end before he could bring an application for bail to the High Court.
In court today Mr Casey applied to come off-record in legally representing the pair and Dublin based solicitor, Adam Dodd said that he was now representing the two and Judge Gabbett transferred the legal aid cert to him.
Sgt John Burke told the court today that Garda are awaiting DPP directions in the case.
Sgt Burke previously told the court that a small sample of the suspected drugs was brought to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) and the tests confirmed that the substance is cannabis.
Judge Gabbett directed that a Lithuanian interpreter be present for the next day in court. Daughter, Migle has very good English while mother, Dovil requires the interpreter.
At the Christmas Eve court sitting, Gardaí told the bail hearing that, at 11:16am on December 23rd last, the two accused disembarked from a flight at Shannon Airport from Boston.
Gardaí alleged that officers attached to Revenue discovered 64kgs vacuum-packed packages of cannabis with a street value of €1.28 million, in four suitcases belonging to the two accused. It was a “significant quantity” of drugs, gardaí added.
Mr Casey told the Christmas Eve court that Ms Reifonaite and Ms Kurieniute had lived in Mullingar for the past eight years and that they would abide by any bail conditions.
“Ms Kurieniute has been here since she was 12. They have set up home here, and if granted bail they will sign on daily or even twice daily at a garda station, this is where their life is,” said Mr Casey.
Judge Gabbett further remanded the two in custody to appear, via video-link, at Ennis District Court on January 22nd.
Mr Dodd told the two from the court: “I will will make further contact and meet ye in person in the near future.”
