€31m of cocaine seized in major three-pronged bust
Four men remain in custody after cocaine believed to be valued in excess of €31 million was seized in county Cork during a dramatic land, sea, and air operation.
It marks the biggest drug seizure in Ireland so far this year and the largest since 26 September 2023 when over 2 tonnes of cocaine were seized off the coast near the Cork/Waterford border with an estimated value of €157 million.
On Tuesday morning, gardaí from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stopped a van in the Courtmacsherry area of West Cork.
The cocaine, whose exact value is subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland, was seized by Revenue Customs Service.
The two men, (30s and 40s) who were travelling in the van were arrested and detained in a garda station under Section 50 Criminal Justice Act 2007.
The other two males had departed from Broadstrand, Courtmacsherry in a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) but were intercepted by the Irish naval ship, L.É. William Butler Yeats which was on patrol in the area as part of the joint taskforce operation.
The ship was supported by a maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, who provided overhead surveillance during the operation.
A real time air traffic monitor, Flightradar24, tracked the maritime patrol aircraft as it passed Cobh heading east at around 5.30am. The aircraft circled a number of times off the coast between Cobh and Dungarvan in Waterford before appearing to focus on a spot to the south east of Dungarvan. The aircraft circled a small area at least 40 times before continuing east at around 8.20am.
Two naval service RIBs with members of the ship’s armed maritime interdiction team were launched from L.É. William Butler Yeats and intercepted the suspect RIB off the coast of Cork.
The suspect RIB was detained by Revenue Customs Service and the two males were taken on board the L.É. William Butler Yeats.
The L.É. William Butler Yeats then returned to Haulbowline Naval Base and both males (also aged in their 30s and 40s) were arrested by gardaí and are currently detained in a garda station in county Cork under Section 50 Criminal Justice Act 2007.
West Cork Fine Gael Senator and former member of An Garda Síochána, Noel O’Donovan, said the success of the operation is a credit to Ireland’s security forces.
“Early indications say this operation was under surveillance for the last number of days, so that is a testament to all involved for their professionalism and success in combating the importation of drugs into this country and it’s further transportation.
“In West Cork, we are well aware how narcotics can be smuggled into this country and the European continent,” he added.