There was a heavy Garda presence outside Mallow District Court ahead of the cases.
Over 2,200kg of cocaine was seized after the Army Ranger Wing boarded the cargo ship MV Matthew last week.
30-year-old Ukrainian national Mykhailo Gavryk, 48-year-old Dutch citizen Cumali Ozgen, 31-year-old Ukrainian Vitali Vlasoi and 37-year-old Saeid Hassani from Iran, all with addresses outside the state, appeared at Mallow District Court this morning.
They are charged with conspiracy to possess and supply cocaine with a market value of more than €13,000.
Each of the men followed the court proceedings via an interpreter.
Vitali Vlasoi’s defence solicitor Joseph Cuddigan said he would be making an application to board the MV Matthew ship, while Saeid Hassani’s defence solicitor Don Ryan told the court he would also be making an application to board the ship.
The District Court is precluded from granting bail in this case and Judge Colm Roberts remanded all four men in custody to appear before the court again via video link next Tuesday.
