A man accused of directing organised crime in Cork City faces trial, alongside two others charged with drug dealing offences. The case continues May 1.
A trial in Cork is set to test allegations that a man played a central role in organised crime, with heroin dealing and drug supply among the claims.
The case opened at Cork Circuit Criminal Court before Judge Dermot Sheehan, with a jury of nine men and three women. The jurors were told of Garda concerns about heroin dealing in Cork City, with particular attention on areas including the Lee Fields and Fitzgerald’s Park.
At the centre of the proceedings is 47-year-old Pranas Motriuk of 13 Manor Grove, Thornbury View, Rochestown, Cork.. He is accused of directing and controlling the activities of a criminal organisation between November 10, 2023, and March 26, 2025.. The trial also includes an allegation that he had cannabis and the benzodiazepine Etizolam for sale or supply at his home on March 25, 2025.
Alongside that, Misryoum reports that Motriuk faces money-laundering charges connected to sums of €470 and €1,050 at North City Link Road on September 25, 2024, and at Kyrl’s Street on October 3, 2024.
Two other men are also before the court.. Jonas Pavilionis, 46, has no fixed address, and Aleksandras Kuznecovas, 38, also has no fixed address.. Both are charged with offences involving having drugs for sale or supply for the benefit of, or under the direction of, an organised crime group, with additional drug supply charges at different locations around Cork City.
In this context, the decision to link multiple accused and multiple locations can shape how jurors understand the alleged network, even as the court process remains focused on what prosecutors say they can prove.
The charges against Pavilionis also include having a machete at the Douglas shopping centre car park, and having two bill-hooks at Audley Place, St. Patrick’s Hill, Cork.
In outlining the prosecution case, senior counsel for the State, Misryoum writes, said the investigation began in November 2023 due to heroin dealing in the city.. The court heard that surveillance was put in place as part of the investigation, and that undercover Garda work involved 21 controlled drug purchases.
All three men have pleaded not guilty to every charge. The trial is set to continue on May 1.
It matters because cases like this often come down to credibility and evidence, and the next stages will determine whether prosecutors can link the alleged leadership and supply roles to the specific charges put before the jury.