This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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The Irish Naval Service have stormed into a yacht carrying up to €80 million worth of cocaine and seized it off the south west coast of Ireland to foil a major drug smuggling operation.
The operation by the Naval Service, Gardai and Customs & Excise followed a lengthy intelligence mission in which Irish agencies co-operated with U.K., European and North American police forces.
The drugs were believed to be destined for the U.K. and European markets rather than for Ireland.
The 60 foot vessel was intercepted some 200 nautical miles off Mizen Head – the Cork coast in Ireland in challenging conditions before lunchtime yesterday.
The interception followed intelligence from the National Crime Agency in the U.K. and the French custom service, through the Lisbon-based Maritime Analysis Operations Centre-Narcotics (MAOCN).
The armed Irish Navy team boarding party from the LÉ Roisin boarded the yacht and believed to have faced no resistance from three Britons on board hey complied immediately with the demand to hand over control of the vessel to the boarding party.
The three men, from West Yorkshire, were then transferred to the LE Niamh where they were detained and both naval ships began escorting the Mayakabella to the Naval Base at Haulbowline in Cork Harbour where she is estimated to arrive at 9pm. The three men will be arrested by the Garda after their arrival on shore.
The seizure of an estimated value of €80m of cocaine will rank as one of the largest hauls in Irish history.
It is also likely to prove the biggest offshore cocaine seizure in Europe for 18 months.
Ireland’s Defence Minister Simon Coveney congratulated all the agencies involved in a highly successful drug interdiction operation.
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