Olhão court sentences men accused of trafficking weapons for IRA

Four men accused of attempting to traffic weapons from the Algarve to Ireland to supply a dissident faction of the IRA were sentenced in Olhão court last Friday, 4 January. Two men were handed prison terms while the other two saw their sentences suspended.

The reading of the verdict took place under a massive armed police presence, indicative of the sensitive nature of the case.
Defendants Conor Sheehan, who was born in Northern Ireland, and Portuguese national Paulo Guerreiro, both received a prison term of four years and ten months for their roles in the buying of guns in the Algarve.
The weapons were believed to have been destined for Ireland, to supply a dissident faction of the IRA, the Real IRA (RIRA).
James Rice, who was enlisted to transport the guns to Ireland, and fourth defendant António Mestre had their sentences of three years and nine months and three years and five months, respectively, suspended.
Reading the verdict head judge Henrique Pavão described Rice’s role in the set up as “serious, but essentially subordinate”, given that he only found out how many guns he would be transporting after arriving in the Algarve and seeing them.
The panel of judges cleared all four men of the charges of criminal association.
Judge Pavão said that, while during the investigation there had been “suspicions” of connections to the terrorist group, “a mere suspicion is not enough to prove anything.”
All four were sentenced for simple weapons trafficking.
One of the four men, António Mestre was also sentenced for possession of an illegal weapon.
Describing the defendants as people who are “well regarded within the environs in which they move”, Judge Pavão made reference to Rice’s close relationships with his nephews as well as Sheehan’s good relationship with his daughters and ex-wife.
The conclusion drawn from their character appraisal was that “in principal, we can hope that they won’t commit crimes again.”
Speaking outside the courthouse after the judgement, Sheehan’s lawyer Miguel Esperança Martins said that while the sentence was “in line with what was expected”, he is going to take time to decide whether or not to appeal.
His client has already served 18 months in preventative custody, being held in Lisbon since the police bust the trafficking set-up in 2011.
Fernando Cabrita, Guerreiro’s lawyer, said he was also considering an appeal.
António Mestre’s lawyer Patrícia Veloso said she was “satisfied” with the suspended sentence handed to her client, adding “I think in fact justice has been served.”
Portuguese authorities have issued an extradition order for a fifth suspect, John McCann, who is believed to have been the head of the set up and still in Ireland.
He will be tried separately in Portugal once extradited.