Cops probe €157m MV Matthew drug ship as 20-nation coke plot gang with Kinahan links exposed & Irish mobsters identified
Det Supt Joe O'Reilly has told how various gangs were behind the
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The venture to bring 2.2-tons of cocaine into Europe on the MV Matthew was backed by criminals from 20 countries
Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
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Detective Superintendent Joe O'Reilly revealed various gangs were behind the drug plot
Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
Eight men were jailed last week for between 13.5 and 20 years for their part in trying to smuggle €157 million worth of coke.
It was the largest seizure of the party drug in Irish
The haul was seized following a joint Garda, Customs and Defence Forces op in September 2023.
The
READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS
The drugs plot also involved the
Gardai have now moved on to the next stages of their major probe into the shipment as they continue to work with police forces globally.
A number of the men involved in the smuggling op, but still at large, were in cells higher up the chain and more protected than those already
Explaining the structures in place for this venture, Det Supt O'Reilly, of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said: 'What we've seen in our investigations and in particular the MV Matthew investigation is that there's a cellular structure that is international.
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
'They operate in a structure that one area will look at finance, one will be involved in procurement, logistics, landing the cocaine, moving the cocaine.
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'So it's not just one nationality or one group that's involved in these major shipments.
'All these shipments are transnational in the development and the delivery of their product onto a jurisdiction in Europe or elsewhere.
'So these investigations are global.
This particular investigation into the MV Matthew has led us to 20 different countries where criminals operating in those countries supported this venture of bringing cocaine into the shores of Ireland.'
We have learned that detectives have identified a number of Irish men involved in the plot.
Transnational organised crime groups know no borders, they prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain."
Assistant Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime Angela Willis
One includes a man who helped acquire the second ship that was meant to meet the MV Matthew to transfer the
He also issued the two men in charge of this 'sistership' with instructions.
But it's understood he fled to
Others at large include a man who used the pseudonym 'Captain Noah', who issued directions on messaging apps and oversaw the plot from Dubai.
Det Supt O'Reilly told the Garda Podcast: 'It's important to realise transnational organised criminal gangs have no legal jurisdiction or moral boundaries and their only intent is making profit at any cost, whether that's financial or human.'
Assistant Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime Angela Willis said the major probe shows the State's commitment to tackle organised crime.
The top cop said: 'Transnational organised crime groups know no borders, they prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain."
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Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis said the probe shows the State's commitment to tackle organised crime
Credit: Gary Ashe-Commissioned by The Sun Dublin
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It was the largest-ever drugs haul in Irish history
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