Perry Wharrie, 48, of Pyrles Lane, in Loughton, was found guilty of possessing cocaine for sale and supply

Perry Wharrie, 48, of Pyrles Lane, in Loughton, was found guilty of possessing cocaine for sale and supply following a lengthy trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, in Ireland. Wharrie was also jailed in 1989 for the murder of off-duty police officer PC Frank Mason following a Securicor van robbery in Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, in 1988. Wharrie, with two others, was convicted of killing PC Mason, and served 17 years before being released in April 2005. The constable died following a struggle with the raiders when a single shot was fired, not by Wharrie, killing PC Mason. In relation to the drugs case, Martin Wanden, 45, of no fixed obode, and John Daly, 41, of Bexley, in Kent, were also convicted of possessing the drugs, and jailed for 30 and 25 years respectively. The Epping Forest Guardian reported at the time of their arrests how Wharrie had been charged in connection with Ireland's biggest ever seizure of illegal drugs at Dunlough Bay, Mizen Head, off the County Cork coast, on July 2 last year. More than 60 bales of cocaine were discovered floating in the sea when an air search was carried out for a number of men reported missing after a dinghy capsized. The group were attempting to smuggle 1.5 tonnes of the drug into Ireland. Michael Colgan, head of customs drugs law enforcement in Ireland, told the Guardian: "The Dunlough Bay find was the largest quantity of cocaine ever seized in Ireland and, as such, the case has enormous significance for us." He said they are working closely with seven EU countries, including Britain, to tackle the problem, and added: "International co-operation is essential for us: the fight against international drug smuggling is a battle which no country can wage on its own." Rita Fenwick, 66, Wharrie's next-door neighbour in the council block of flats above the parade of shops on Pyrles Lane, described him as a friendly, community-minded man. She said: "I knew he had been in prison before but he seemed nice enough so I didn't want to pry. I would often talk to him when we were out on the balcony and he would give me tips on how to look after my pot plants. He was very green-fingered. I know he lived there with his wife and that he had some grown-up step-children.
"The first time I found out about this was when I read in the papers that someone from Pyrles Lane had been arrested. I was shocked when I found out it was Perry."
She added: "Trust me, I don't go a bundle on gangster types; but I can tell you he was a nice man and a good neighbour."
Enver Mustafa, who lived in the same block of flats as Wharrie, said: "I used to pass him on the stairs, but I never really spoke to him. I think he lived alone, although I did see him with a woman sometimes.
"But, like I said, he just kept himself to himself really."
Mr Mustafa, who owns Envers Dry Cleaning and Ironing shop, on Pyrles Lane, added: "He just seemed like a normal guy. So it was a big shock to see him in the papers."

Perry Wharrie a career criminal, from Loughton, Essex, was one of four men convicted of attempting to smuggle the largest ever haul of cocaine

Perry Wharrie, 48, a career criminal, from Loughton, Essex, was one of four men convicted of attempting to smuggle the largest ever haul of cocaine into Ireland and Britain. He was arrested after a drugs-laden boat capsized in rough seas off the coast of west Cork last summer.A convicted police killer is starting a 30-year jail sentence for his role in a botched £350 million drug smuggling operation.After a ten-week trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Wharrie and two other men were given a total of 85 years in prison over the drugs operation. Martin Wanden, 45, of no fixed abode, was also jailed for 30 years while Joe Daly, 41, of Bexley, Kent, was given a 25-year prison sentence. A fourth man, Gerard Hagan, 24, of Liverpool, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in November.

Martin Wanden,Perry Wharrie,Joe Daly each denied three charges including possessing cocaine for sale or supply at Dunlough Bay on July 2nd 2007.

The three were convicted of possessing cocaine for sale or supply. They were arrested after their boat capsized. During the 42-day trial, the court heard "some idiot" had put diesel into the engine instead of petrol. Perry Wharrie, 48, of Pryles Lane, Essex, Joe Daly, 41, of Carisbrook Avenue, Bexley, and Martin Wanden, 45, of no fixed address, also known as Anthony Claud Linden, had denied the charges. On 2 July last year, a stranger ran into a farmhouse near Mizen Head in west Cork looking for help for a companion with whom he had been fishing, he claimed, when their boat overturned in rough seas. The farmer called the emergency services who saved the man's life but they also recovered 61 suspicious packages floating in the water around the upturned rigid inflatable boat. Perry Wharrie (48) of Pyrles Lane, Loughton, Essex and Joe Daly (41) of Carrisbrooke Avenue, Bexley, Kent each denied three charges including possessing cocaine for sale or supply at Dunlough Bay on July 2nd 2007.The jury deliberated for six hours.The huge haul of cocaine which weighs over 1,500 kilos was recovered from Dunlough Bay at the end of the Mizen Peninsula by gardai and customs officers assisted by local coastguard units, an Irish Coastguard helicopter and both Castletownbere and Baltimore lifeboats.The jury of nine men and two women saw CCTV footage from a number of premises in west Cork, as well as at Pembroke Docks on the night a boat later found in Dunlough Bay was brought to Ireland.The jury began their deliberations at Cork Circuit Criminal Court this morning by viewing CCTV footage from the Harbour View Hotel in Schull on the night of July 1st 2007 - the night before the drug smuggling operation went awry.