Irish navy intercepts massive cocaine shipment off coast of Cork

Armed sailors raid yacht containing up to €80m worth of drug, thought to have been smuggled to Ireland from South America

theguardian.com, Henry McDonald, Ireland correspondent, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Irish vessel LÉ Niamh with the yacht Makayabella, which was stormed by a naval
 team who found up to 40 bales of cocaine on board. Photograph: Irish Defence Forces/PA

Ireland’s navy confirmed on Wednesday evening that it has intercepted a yacht with a consignment of cocaine worth up to €80m (£63m) on board.

It also said three men believed to be from the UK were arrested on board the vessel in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The yacht, the Makayabella, was stormed by armed Irish sailors 200 miles off Mizen Head, County Cork.

The operation was carried out by a joint task force comprising members of the customs service, the Garda Síochána and navy. The task force works in conjunction with an international headquarters in Lisbon which monitors suspicious shipping coming into European territorial waters.

Two Irish naval vessels – LÉ Niamh and LÉ Roisin – identified the yacht in a surveillance operation in the Atlantic Ocean.

The drugs found are understood to have been smuggled from South America with the yacht sailing from a port in the Caribbean.

Up to 40 bales of cocaine are believed to have been concealed on board the yacht.

It was boarded under cover of darkness by specially trained armed sailors in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The crew are not believed to have put up resistance.

Details of the operation were kept secret until Wednesday evening to protect follow-up investigations in Ireland and abroad.

A spokesperson for the Irish Defence Forces said the operation was based on intelligence from the National Crime Agency in the UK and the French customs service, the DNRED.

The yacht has been taken by tow into the Haulbowline port near Cork City. Armed Irish military police have sealed off the naval base.

Some of the biggest drug seizures in recent times have been off the Irish coast, which is often used as a dropoff point for South American narcotics being smuggled into Europe.

The biggest seizure to date was the discovery of €440m worth of Colombian cocaine which was found in Dunlough Bay, west Cork, seven years ago.

That smuggling operation was compromised after the UK gang behind the plot overloaded a smaller boat to get the drugs to shore and filled a spare fuel tank with diesel instead of petrol. The boat capsized in heavy seas and the majority of the gang were arrested before they could escape.