Dramatic footage of Ireland's largest drugs seizure released

South Wales Guardian

2 days ago

It follows the sentencing of eight men on Friday following the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine with a value of 157 million euro (£132 million) in September 2023.
The drugs were seized after the Irish Army Ranger Wing boarded the vessel from helicopters in an interception conducted while the crew attempted to steer the ship to high seas.
Eight men admitted their roles in trying to smuggle cocaine as part of a massive drug trafficking operation.
A range of material relating to the investigation has now been made public, including audio recordings between the captain of the container ship and the Irish Naval Service which was in 'hot pursuit' of the criminals.
That pursuit included the firing of warning shots by the Naval Service before the Army Ranger Wing boarded the vessel.
The aerial footage and audio recordings detail a dramatic operation carried out at sea in gale force winds and involving Ireland's joint task force on drugs interdiction, which includes the Irish police service An Garda Siochana, Revenue, and the Defence Forces.
The operation also involved the Coast Guard and international partners including Interpol and the Maritime Analysis And Operations Centre (Narcotics).
The newly published material shows how the Panama-flagged MV Matthew entered Irish territorial waters on September 23 2023 – having set off from Curacao, an island off the coast of Venezuela.
Unbeknown to the crew, suspicions about its activities had been relayed to An Garda Siochana and the drugs and organised crime bureau was monitoring the ship.
The materials also show how the FV Castlemore fishing trawler, which had been purchased by two men with funding from an organised crime group, was also tracked during the operation.
The two men on the FV Castlemore were communicating with criminal cells in Dubai and beyond, who in turn were in touch with the MV Matthew 'mothership'.
The trawler engaged in a number of failed attempts to receive clandestine transfers of the cocaine from the MV Matthew.
During what would be its final attempt, the Irish Coast Guard engaged with the trawler to warn it of dangerous conditions and inquire about its lack of movement.
The FV Castlemore later put out a distress call to the Coast Guard after running aground on a sandbank off the Wexford coast.
The crew were rescued by Coast Guard helicopter to the naval vessel, the LE WB Yeats – essentially having inadvertently handed themselves in for arrest.
When the mothership became aware of the distress call, a change of plan was ordered.
Voice messages from an individual in Dubai, identified as 'Captain Noah' and who gardai believe remains in the Middle East, show that the crew on the MV Matthew were instructed to load all cocaine into a lifeboat for a rendezvous with a different vessel – which would not occur due to the interception by Irish authorities.
The newly released material shows the MV Matthew repeatedly ignore instructions from Revenue and the Naval Service's LE WB Yeats.
Text messages and voice notes show panicked communications within the criminal network, including the incorrect belief that the ship would not be boarded if it headed further into international waters.
While trying to evade the naval service, the LE WB Yeats entered a 'hot pursuit' and – acting as a warship – fired warning shots in the vicinity of the MV Matthew.
The captain of the MV Matthew communicated that it was a commercial vessel and was not in jurisdiction covered by the Irish navy: 'Irish warship, please do not fire at us.'
He added: 'Can you advise if you are in hot pursuit of us?'
Criminals onboard started deleting messages and attempted to burn the cocaine onboard as Captain Noah told them they would not be boarded.
He sent a voice message: 'My stress level is near to heart attack, try to be calm.'
However, the Army Ranger Wing would shortly board the vessel by descending on ropes from a helicopter while the ship was moving erratically – ending the chase, leading to the successful arrests and seizure of the cocaine.
Speaking to reporters about the operation on Saturday, Assistant Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime Angela Willis said the investigation showed the Irish State's commitment to tackle organised crime.
'Transnational organised crime groups know no borders, they prey on people's vulnerability for their own financial gain.
'People are dispensable and expendable when they are no longer of use to the criminal organisation
'Life is cheap and protecting their core criminal interest – which is money – is their key priority.'
Ms Willis said all those who use drugs recreationally are funding the criminal organisations and are directly linked to the suffering inflicted on communities by the gangs.
The senior garda said the sentencing of the eight men came from the 'first phase' of the operation, adding that investigators are now examining pathways to other aspects of the probe – including ascertaining the origin of the funding and financing of the intercepted shipment.
She said it was the belief of investigators that several 'trans-global organisations' are involved in these types of shipments.
Asked if the Kinahan organised crime group was part of the MV Matthew operation, she said it was 'reasonable to assume' that it would be engaged in that type of activity.
Ms Willis said the next stage of the investigation had commenced, examining 'peripheral people' in Ireland and abroad.
She said the next phase would include 'asset recovery' of people involved in the drugs trade.
Captain Darragh Kirwan, head of Naval Service operations, said the ongoing success of the JTF and support of international partners contributes greatly to the security of the sea and society onshore.
David Caunter, Director of Organised and Emerging Crime at INTERPOL said the investigation shows the power of international co-operation among police agencies.
'This is what criminal organisations fear: Global law enforcement working together to protect our citizens and our communities'.
He said law enforcement agencies must adapt to criminal groups seeking to expand their operations.
Mr Caunter added: 'This investigation delivers a clear message to organised crime: 'Nowhere is safe, we will not stop, we will find you and bring you to justice.'
He said organised crime groups are seeking to develop new partnerships, adding that local traffickers may not understand the larger picture of the network they operate in – including links to South America and the Middle East as well as Balkan organised crime and Lebanese groups.
He also said west Africa is becoming a more important transit route in the global cocaine trade.
Meanwhile, Revenue has said it is working to dispose of the MV Matthew as the cost of storing the vessel soars past nine million euro.
A preferred bidder has been identified but Revenue Commissioner Ruth Kennedy said many regulations have to be adhered to before a sale can proceed.
Ms Kennedy said the vessel has been kept in running order but would not provide a value on the ship.