Ireland busts record-breaking $165M drug shipment

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27th Sep, 2023. 09:45 pm
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Record Drug Seizure: Irish authorities announce the largest drug bust in Ireland’s history off the coast of Cork.
Massive Cocaine Haul: 2,253 kilograms of cocaine, valued at €157 million ($165 million), intercepted by Irish police.
Press Conference: Director General Gerry Harrahill shares details at a news conference in Dublin.

Irish authorities have announced the largest drug bust in Ireland‘s history, which occurred off the coast of Cork in the southeast of the country on Tuesday.

According to Irish police, they intercepted a shipment of cocaine weighing 2,253 kilograms, with an estimated value of 157 million euros ($165 million).

Director General of Revenue and Customs Gerry Harrahill provided these details during a news conference held in Dublin on Wednesday.

“It is the largest drug seizure in the history of the State,” Justin Kelly, Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s police force, said at the same conference.

“This is a hugely significant operation and it shows our unrelenting determination to disrupt and dismantle networks which are determined to bring drugs into our country,” Kelly added.

A Garda press release has confirmed the arrest of three individuals, aged 31, 50, and 60, on suspicion of organized crime. They are presently undergoing questioning at Garda stations in County Wexford.

Law enforcement officers have stated that the seized drugs had their origins in South America and were intended for distribution among criminal groups in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

To intercept the Panamanian-registered bulk cargo vessel, a task force comprised of members from the Irish Revenue Customs Service, the navy, and An Garda Síochána collaborated in the early hours of Tuesday, as outlined in the Garda press release.

Video footage, shared by the Irish Defence Forces on X (formerly Twitter), depicts army personnel fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel’s deck amidst challenging weather conditions, as the vessel attempted to depart Irish waters.

Once the army secured the vessel, task force members were transferred on board and escorted by a naval ship to Cork Harbor, where the vessel is currently undergoing forensic examination.

“Yesterday was an extremely complex day from a military perspective and the defense forces ran an extremely complex military operation,” Tony Geraghty, fleet commander of the Irish Naval Service, said at the Dublin press briefing.

“It was (made) even more complex by environments that we had no control over. The weather was extremely poor and also we were trying to predict the actions of several crime gangs and how that would impact us. But it was very successful from a defense force point of view.”

As stated in a Garda press release, this intelligence-driven operation was carried out in partnership with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), which is headquartered in Lisbon.

MAOC-N is a cooperative effort involving seven EU member nations, namely France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK, with funding support from the European Union.

Ireland busts record-breaking $165M drug shipment

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