Historic Cork drug busts feature in new TV series

A daring, high seas boarding operation off the coast of Cork which led to the largest drug seizure in the history of the state has featured in a new RTÉ series.

‘BUSTED’ is a new three-part documentary series that brings viewers inside some of the state's most dramatic and high profile anti-drug operations.

The first episode, which aired on RTÉ One on Monday and is now available on RTÉ Player, features real-time footage and first-hand accounts of the boarding of the 28,000 tonne Panama-registered bulk carrier, the MV Matthew, by the elite Army Ranger Wing off Cork’s coast in 2023.

The operation led to the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of €157 million, as well as several arrests.

Two helicopters were involved in the operation which saw army rangers fast-rope onto the ship's deck after a number of warning shots were fired.

The ship was finally towed out of Cork Harbour earlier this year after costing the state €17m to maintain.

Episode two of the series will air this coming Monday night at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and will feature the infamous 2007 Dunlough Bay seizure in West Cork, one of the biggest cocaine busts in Irish history. The bust saw drugs worth approximately €440m recovered from the sea after an inflatable dingy, which had been filled with the wrong type of fuel, got into difficulty and capsized.

Four of the men involved were arrested while a number of others escaped following the bungled smuggling operation.

It was reported that the smugglers were linked to organised crime groups in Britain and Spain and that the drugs were destined for European countries outside of Ireland.

Other busts set to feature in the series include the largest crystal meth seizure in Irish history, uncovered in county Kerry; and the extraordinary case involving the notorious Sinaloa Cartel's use of a garden centre to smuggle crystal meth from the Americas to Australia.

Through first-hand testimony from those involved, viewers will hear how bad weather, poor planning and sheer bad luck often led to the seizure of hundreds of millions of euros worth of drugs destined for the European market.

Packed with high-stakes operations, compelling testimony, and extraordinary archive footage, ‘BUSTED’ offers a fascinating insight into the cat-and-mouse game between international drug traffickers and the Irish authorities determined to stop them.