Irish drug traffickers escape LatinAmerican jail

snubbleste

with 10 years left to serve.. and magically reappear in Ireland!

Convicted drug mules Dermot, 21, and Leigh O’Neill, 25, from Athlone had both been sentenced to 11 years in jail in Venezuela last August.
Fr John Jennings in Caracas, who had been visiting the two men, said he got a call from them after the brothers fled the notorious San Juan de Los Morros slammer outside Caracas. “They usually rang me looking for money, but this time they told me they’d escaped, I was surprised to say the least.”
The O’Neill brothers had been travelling with fellow Irishman Martin Beirne in March last year. Beirne, 28, died in a Caracas hotel when cocaine-filled balloons burst in his stomach. The brothers fled the scene but were later arrested. In police custody, Leigh O’Neill later passed 92 balloons filled with 725 grams of cocaine with a street value of some €50,000. No drugs were found on the person of Dermot, who had always protested his innocence.
After fleeing prison early last month, the O’Neill brothers made their way overland to neighbouring Colombia to the border town of Cucuta, then on to Bogota.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications did not respond when asked if the two men had escaped.
http://www.thesun.ie/irishsol/homepage/news/5074019/They-just-walked-out-in-the-middle-of-the-day-and-went-to-the-local-bus-stop-It-came-as-a-surprise.html

How did they get passports and flights and are AnGarda not worried about these jailbreakers living back in Ireland etc etc?

Amirani

Shame we can't extradite them.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

snubbleste wrote: »

with 10 years left to serve.. and magically reappear in Ireland!

How did they get passports and flights and are AnGarda not worried about these jailbreakers living back in Ireland etc etc?

Not much the Garda can do, they were not in Jail here.

Seaneh

snubbleste wrote: »

with 10 years left to serve.. and magically reappear in Ireland!

How did they get passports and flights and are AnGarda not worried about these jailbreakers living back in Ireland etc etc?

I'd imagine they went to the Irish embassy in Bogota and got emergency passports, it's not rocket science really.

snubbleste

We don't have an embassy in Bogota.

crackcrack30

Don't we dual with the uk in a lot of these countries...

Seaneh

snubbleste wrote: »

We don't have an embassy in Bogota.

We have an Honorary Consulate, and AFAIK in areas where we don't have an embassy, another EU country can issue emergency transport documents for Irish citizens.

mike65

That'll give that pair of women some hope.

Seaneh

mike65 wrote: »

That'll give that pair of women some hope.

Peru and Venezuela are very different countries...

I Heart Internet

Interesting story.

I have no time for those involved in the drugs trade but a part of me says, "fair fecks to them," if the story happened the way they say. Especially if one of them (as he claims) was entirely innocent.

You'd think they'd have kept their mouths shut, now they're out, so as not to cause potential trouble for anyone who may have assiisted them in their escape.

Still....once a idiot, always an idiot I guess (swallowing bags of coke.....genius).

JONJO THE MISER

Fair play to them, lets me honest if they had not escaped they would of never survived 11 years in Prision there, this is a place where if they dont have a football to play with they cut off someones head to use as a football, a real cesspit of a country.

Ilik Urgee

Some prison warden just sorted out Christmas early this year.

Fratton Fred

They were probably only observing the local Elections anyway.

Wonder would ye get a reward if you called the prison and said youd came across the lads...

Sky King

Why can't we extradite them?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Fair play to them, lets me honest if they had not escaped they would of never survived 11 years in Prision there, this is a place where if they dont have a football to play with they cut off someones head to use as a football, a real cesspit of a country.

Fair play to them? They#re drug smugglers. They should rot in whatever prison they end up in.

Ash.J.Williams

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Interesting story.

I have no time for those involved in the drugs trade but a part of me says, "fair fecks to them," if the story happened the way they say. Especially if one of them (as he claims) was entirely innocent.

You'd think they'd have kept their mouths shut, now they're out, so as not to cause potential trouble for anyone who may have assiisted them in their escape.

Still....once a idiot, always an idiot I guess (swallowing bags of coke.....genius).

i think they have kept their mouth shut, the article i read was from nosey neighbours!!

Ash.J.Williams

Sky King wrote: »

Why can't we extradite them?

do countries volunteer people for extradition? doubt it

wesf

scumbags should be sent straight back.

camphor

Who on earth would escape from prison and then go to Athlone??? The mind boggles!

Christ the Redeemer

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Fair play to them, lets me honest if they had not escaped they would of never survived 11 years in Prision there, this is a place where if they dont have a football to play with they cut off someones head to use as a football, a real cesspit of a country.

They are ****ing drug mules. Get your bleeding act together.

wazky

Maybe they could visit the two newest drug mules to grace a South American jail and give them a few tips?

Seaneh

Sky King wrote: »

Why can't we extradite them?

Why would we?

They didn't break any laws here, we have no extradition treaty with Venezuela and it's our governments job to protect citizens of the state.

ColeTrain

Genesis Yummy Riffraff wrote: »

Fair play to them? They#re drug smugglers. They should rot in whatever prison they end up in.

Watch the Banged Up Abroad episode with the Irish guy in Venezuela. Certainly wouldn't wish it on them, murdering rapists absolutely but not for the crime of smuggling.

gobnaitolunacy

Genesis Yummy Riffraff wrote: »

Fair play to them? They#re drug smugglers. They should rot in whatever prison they end up in.

One lad didn't have party balloons in his system, not found with any gear on him....let him rot as well?

martinedwards

Sky King wrote: »

Why can't we extradite them?

Ireland has a long history of not extraditing people wanted for crimes in other countries.

Banjo String

Let's troll the prison with an online campaign.

Get folk from all over Ireland sending Athlone, 'wish you were here?' Postcards.

AndonHandon

martinedwards wrote: »

Ireland has a long history of not extraditing people wanted for crimes in other countries.

A high profile refusal recently involved Edward Snowden following a request from the U.S.

Rightwing

Was reading about them after hearing about the 2 girls, ,,and a few days later,,they are out!

Pay off prison wardens girls,,,,,fook the lawyer.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

ColeTrain wrote: »

Watch the Banged Up Abroad episode with the Irish guy in Venezuela. Certainly wouldn't wish it on them, murdering rapists absolutely but not for the crime of smuggling.

Maybe not one of these hellhole prisons, not for smuggling, but saying fair play to them is ridiculous.

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

One lad didn't have party balloons in his system, not found with any gear on him....let him rot as well?

Depends what he was found guilty of. I don't know the details and i'm not a judge. My statement still stands. Drug smugglers, including these too "poor girls", deserve to be locked up.

Ya think, ah the poor eejits made a mistake, let them off the hook. I wonder how many lives 725 grams of coke will ruin.

cletus van damme

martinedwards wrote: »

Ireland has a long history of not extraditing people wanted for crimes in other countries.

also given the inhumane conditions over there - it's probably illegal for the state to extradite them.
It could well argued that their human rights are infringed over there ...


fair play to the lads for escaping.

tbh I don't think coke dealing/smuggling is the worst crime.
nobody is forced to buy coke against their will , it's sold to willing participants.
despite the hooha from pious folk here .

wicklowstevo

pair of ****ing scumbags , just look at the heads on them , got in over their heads , the place for them is in a hell hole south American jail, at least we wouldn't have to pay for it ,

wicklowstevo

cletus van damme wrote: »

also given the inhumane conditions over there - it's probably illegal for the state to extradite them.
It could well argued that their human rights are infringed over there ...


fair play to the lads for escaping.

tbh I don't think coke dealing/smuggling is the worst crime.
nobody is forced to buy coke against their will , it's sold to willing participants.
despite the hooha from pious folk here .

and if there wasn't any coke to buy would Ireland be a better place or a worse one ?

Knob Longman

Fair fúcks to them both..:cool:

irishgirl19

Legends

cletus van damme

wicklowstevo wrote: »

and if there wasn't any coke to buy would Ireland be a better place or a worse one ?

it would be the same I reckon.
The people who like coke would be taking something else.

But your question could be put to a whole manner of subject?
How about trans-fat? would ireland be better off without trans-fats..for sure...but what about all the nice food derived from that.
We'd be better off eating chicken, veg and rice everyday but tbh we like our indulgences .

I'm not naive in the drug trade bring unpleasant attributes but I do believe that is down to human nature (greed) and the illegal nature of the business.

The drugs itself isn't a huge problem no worse than alcohol i think. I think like all substances some people take it responsibly and some abuse the fcuk out of it.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Knob Longman wrote: »

Fair fúcks to them both..:cool:

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Legends

Ye don't even know what you are talking about.

Cool is it? Cop on would ya...

irishgirl19

Genesis Yummy Riffraff wrote: »

Ye don't even know what you are talking about.

Cool is it? Cop on would ya...

Aside from the drugs crap...
Ya have to hand it to them. You don't hear slot about people escaping from those prisons.

donegal_road

its all supply and demand I suppose, regardless of who is using it

Knob Longman

Genesis Yummy Riffraff wrote: »

Ye don't even know what you are talking about.

Cool is it? Cop on would ya...

Don't comment about what I do or don't know as you don't know anything about me...Your condescending comment exposes your own ignorance...

Rightwing

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Aside from the drugs crap...
Ya have to hand it to them. You don't hear slot about people escaping from those prisons.

I agree to a point, but we didn't hear about them escaping either....read it in a paper.

Pay off prison wardens....that's a worrying development. How many other criminals are 'walking out the gates' in these places that no one ever hears of.

Billy86

"No drugs were found on the person of Dermot, who had always protested his innocence." (from OP)

-- How is this guy guilty, then?

wicklowstevo

would yer attitude be the same if they had managed to get on the plane and were caught in Dublin airport ? then escaped from a Irish prison ?

these two scrotes should be in jail and they aren't bottom line

Nabber

I'd love to see a banged up abroad where a Mexican escapes a Yankee prison.

Its always drug mules looking for sympathy.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Expertly done. They took their chance and won, managed to get back to their home where no extradition treaty exists. Of course they were guilty of their crimes but I still kinda of admire their escape to freedom. Is drug running really the worst crime out there?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Aside from the drugs crap...
Ya have to hand it to them. You don't hear slot about people escaping from those prisons.

Still wouldn't pay them scummers any credit for it. It's a pity they escaped.

Knob Longman wrote: »

Don't comment about what I do or don't know as you don't know anything about me...Your condescending comment exposes your own ignorance...

I can comment on your comments if I want, what are you going to do about it exactly?

It's fairly ignorant to cheer on scum bags after getting out of prison. They should be serving their sentence, but instead they're here... will they get up to anything here? Well they done it once, maybe they'll do something else.

Billy86

Again... if the 'Dermot' guy has NO drugs on him, how was he found guilty? Are people just wilfully ignoring this?

donegal_road

Billy86 wrote: »

Again... if the 'Dermot' guy has NO drugs on him, how was he found guilty? Are people just wilfully ignoring this?

Kevin Barlow was not carrying drugs in Malaysia in 1986, when he and Brian Chambers were arrested at the airport. Both were hanged

Rightwing

Billy86 wrote: »

Again... if the 'Dermot' guy has NO drugs on him, how was he found guilty? Are people just wilfully ignoring this?

Provided assistance....according to the state.

Billy86

donegal_road wrote: »

Kevin Barlow was not carrying drugs in Malaysia in 1986, when he and Brian Chambers were arrested at the airport. Both were hanged

True, but it doesn't explain how he was guilty in this case. There obviously was a good deal of evidence against him, given the circumstances, but it should be a case of 'innocent until proven guilty' - and in a drug smuggling case, as best I know, it must be extremely difficult to prove guilt without there being any possession. It's not even like the two girls in Peru (if hypothetically all the drugs had been in one girls bag, rather than split) - they were physically inside Leigh and the other guy who died. I would be interested to know if he was actually ever found guilty of smuggling, or rather of conspiracy which to me seems far more likely.

Now that wouldn't make him much/any less of a scumbag for doing so - but if he was found guilty of smuggling rather than conspiracy or something else similar, I really do have to question the Venezuelan courts' finding. Especially as it is likely a 'zero tolerance, catch all you can regardless, complete crackdown*' state when it comes to issues like this.

*no pun intended!

Billy86

Rightwing wrote: »

Provided assistance....according to the state.

Cheers, ignore the post above then - odds are that's a perfectly valid finding on their part. Was just worried he was 'made an example of' rather than being found guilty for legitimate reasons.

It also is funny this story, as I had wondered if the Lima girls would have got so much attention had they been guys instead. Without those two, even their escape story likely would have never made the news. But that's a different matter...