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Interpol probes international connections to MV Matthew cocaine haul

Interpol probes international connections to MV Matthew cocaine haul

RTÉ News​a day ago
Interpol's director of organised and emerging crime says they have been successful in identifying criminal connections to South America and the Middle East as the investigation into those behind the attempted importation of €157 million worth of cocaine on the MV Matthew, moves internationally.
Speaking at a briefing into the background to the seizure of the €157 million worth of cocaine, Dave Cantor said they have been successful in identifying criminal connections to South American as well as to the Middle East.
Also speaking at the briefing, Assistant Garda Commission Angela Willis said that their "investigations to date indicate that a number of transglobal organised crime networks would be required for an operation as significant as this".
The Joint Task Force behind the biggest seizure of cocaine in the State's history declined to comment on reports that it may have been funded by elements of the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.
Ms Willis said the first phase of the operation involved the arrest of the eight people that were sentenced to a total of 129 years in prison yesterday.
"The next phase is to look at the peripheral involvement of other people here in Ireland, and abroad, and that phase has now commenced and that will also look at asset recovery off those people".
Ms Willis indicated the Kinahan organised crime group forms part of their investigation.
"It would be reasonable to assume that they (Kinahans) would be one of a number of organised crime groups that would be involved in something of this nature."
The drugs were seized following a joint garda, Revenue, and Defence Forces operation in September 2023 after army rangers forcibly boarded a cargo ship at sea.
Six were hired in Dubai by a transnational organised crime group before flying to South America for the international drug trafficking operation.
They were arrested on board the MV Matthew, having ignored instructions from the LÉ William Butler Yeats naval vessel five times and tried to burn the drugs on board.
Two other men bought a boat, the Castlemore, in Castletownbere to collect the drugs from the mothership, but it ran aground off the coast of Wexford and they had to be rescued by the coastguard.
All eight were sentenced to imprisonment yesterday with sentences from 13 and a half years to 20 years.
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'Ireland needs military-grade drones to fend off bombardment of drugs by cocaine cartels'
'Ireland needs military-grade drones to fend off bombardment of drugs by cocaine cartels'

Irish Examiner

time4 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

'Ireland needs military-grade drones to fend off bombardment of drugs by cocaine cartels'

Ireland needs to invest in military-grade drones to combat the 'bombardment' of Ireland by cocaine cartels, security sources have told the Irish Examiner. Experienced investigators and officers said that, while these sophisticated high-tech drones are expensive, they are 'needed now', such is the depleted state of Irish naval and air assets and the constant supply of cocaine over the Atlantic. A range of sources say limited naval service patrols, stemming from a staffing crisis, and reduced air corps flights, due to a dire shortage of traffic controllers, is 'significantly' affecting the ability of State agencies to monitor Irish waters and respond to threats. This is despite the successful interception of a cocaine smuggling operation on the Cork coast last Tuesday and the sentencing on Friday of men involved in the September 2023 MV Matthew case. Sources have criticised the slow pace of official interest in military drones, despite calls in the February 2022 Commission on Defence Forces report for 'further development' in remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). This was accepted in the Government high-level action plan in July 2022. A partially-burned cocaine stash inside a lifeboat on board the MV Matthew in September 2023. The 2025 programme for government committed to funding 'unmanned drones to patrol our coast and ports and detect the trafficking of illegal drugs'. One security source said: 'The Defence Forces are massively out of step on this. They are years behind where they should be in MALE [medium altitude long endurance] drone space. They have endurance for 9-12 hours and can give persistence in an operating area.' A second security source said: 'For a lot of this [counter-drug] work, we don't need people in planes, we just need eyes in the sky and this is where we need drones, now. We are being bombarded with cocaine.' This source said Ireland faces the expanded threat now: Traffickers no longer need a port to land a tonne of cocaine — they can do so on just a beach. A third source said: We have a cocaine highway, but we have very limited domain awareness. Retired air corps pilot and current airline captain Kevin Phipps said RPAS allow 'unparalleled persistent long range surveillance of large areas' but said policy in Government departments 'has not kept pace'. He said drug interdiction was 'one area that Ireland could benefit', with fisheries monitoring and protection of offshore critical infrastructure other areas. 'Despite this capability gap, one has to question why Government departments have not leveraged EU capabilities,' Mr Phipps said, adding that the European Maritime Surveillance Agency provides access to its drones. In response to queries, the Department of Defence said: 'The air corps currently does not operate unmanned aerial drones for the patrolling of Irish territorial airspace or waters. However, it is proposed that this capability will be developed in future in line with a specific recommendation in this regard made by the Commission on the Defence Forces. 'The timeframe for this will be outlined in the updated detailed implementation plan for the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which is due to be published shortly.' Security sources have said satellites — use of which can be rented — would also significantly enhance awareness of Ireland's sprawling maritime area. Denmark recently launched, with Sweden, its own satellite. Other sources said investment in air drones should be complemented by investment in surface drones — not least because the planned purchase of ship-based sonars will be of limited use if vessels are not at sea because of the staffing crisis. One such source said surface drones could operate 24/7 for over 100 days in key areas — the south west/southern approaches and the Irish sea. Sources said the European Defence Agency could help in procurement. In June, Denmark deployed four surface drones for a three-month mission to monitor sub-sea critical infrastructure. Read More

Ireland's cocaine conundrum: 'We only know the ones we get — there could be stuff landing on beaches every night'
Ireland's cocaine conundrum: 'We only know the ones we get — there could be stuff landing on beaches every night'

Irish Examiner

time4 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Ireland's cocaine conundrum: 'We only know the ones we get — there could be stuff landing on beaches every night'

Amid all the recognition last week of a job well done — first with the 440kg cocaine haul in Cork and then the sentencing in the MV Matthew case — is the knowledge that an unending tidal wave of cocaine is coming across the Atlantic. 'The interception on Tuesday of the near-half tonne in Courtmacsherry was a great result for the JTF [Joint Task Force],' a security source said, 'and to have that topped-off with the sentencing on Friday of the MV Matthew, again a JTF operation, was icing on the cake'. The source added: 'The one Tuesday was a lot of coordination and logistics among the gardaí, on the surveillance and operational sides of the house, and also Customs and the Defence Forces — the Naval Service and the Air Corps.' The dramatic military intervention of the Army Rangers, fast-roping from a helicopter onto the deck of the MV Matthew in September 2023, is etched in people's memories. That too was a JTF operation [Gardaí, Revenue and Defence Forces] and the LE William Butler Yeats was involved in both. The sprawling international investigation into the MV Matthew — as revealed at the time in the Irish Examiner — identified Iranian and Hezbollah fixers and traffickers and the power of the Dubai-based Kinahan cartel. As Detective Superintendent Keith Halley of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) said after the sentencing, these transnational organised crime networks have 'immense capabilities, unlimited resources and global reach'. Lessons from MV Matthew With the MV Matthew the traffickers had even gone to the expense and work of buying and registering their own bulk cargo vessel and directly hiring and running crews to operate it. Sources said that particular smuggling operation was 'overly complicated' and that the cartels have learned from it. More recently, the cartels are concentrating on corrupting/intimidating crews working on legitimate commercial vessels to do the work. Security sources were impressed with the operation at Broad Strand Beach last Tuesday. 'This gang ran a very smooth operation,' one source said. 'The guys in the rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) were dressed all in black, come in slow, in the dead of night, on a low throttle. 'There's a van waiting, the drugs are loaded and the van is gone. They made it look very simple.' Unlucky for this gang, gardaí had intelligence, assisted by the maritime tracking expertise of the Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre — Narcotics (MAOC-N), the EU drug interdiction agency. The drugs seized during Tuesday's operation in Courtmacsherry. Picture: Gardaí And watching the gang's 'maritime team' on their fast boat as they approached Broad Strand beach, not far from the coastal town of Courtmacsherry, and the 'ground team' waiting in the van, was the secretive Garda National Surveillance Unit. The Defence Forces had the LE William Butler Yeats deployed at sea and the Air Corps was requested, with the CASA 284 taking off from Baldonnell at 3.50am. Two RHIBs on the Butler Yeats engaged in a high speed chase of the gang's RHIB as it sped away along the coast, towards Waterford. But they were no match for the armed NS Maritime Interdiction Team and were caught. Meanwhile, the two-man landing team were brought to an abrupt halt by the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and DOCB on the road to Courtmacsherry. But experienced officers know that for every good catch they have, multiples are getting through. All you need is a beach 'The reality is we only know the ones we get,' a security source said. 'And given how simple this gang made it look, there could be stuff landing on beaches every night. 'The fact is you don't need a pier anymore. There used to be talk of all the remote piers across the country and how can you watch them. Now, all the gangs need is a beach.' There are an estimated 25 ports in the Republic. According to the Ireland Walking Guide, there are 300 beaches dotted along the coast. The threat posed by gangs using fast boats is affecting much of Europe. Last February, MAOC-N organised an operational workshop because of the 'growing use' of fast boats in maritime cocaine smuggling. It noted the 'expanding operational range' of these boats, adding they were 'increasingly difficult to track and intercept'. As mentioned, South American cartels are using legitimate commercial vessels to smuggle their consignments to Ireland. When the vessels near whatever Irish port they are scheduled to go to, the maritime team takes off and speeds towards it. 'The vessel doesn't even need to stop,' a source said. 'The RHIB comes up behind the vessel, the consignment is lowered down by the crew and the ship continues to port where it offloads its legitimate cargo.' That happened in the Courtmacsherry haul, with the bulk carrier, coming from Argentina, scheduled to dock at Ringaskiddy Port in Cork. Cell structures in drug trafficking Cell structures are not necessarily new in trafficking and the MV Matthew showed that — with bosses in Dubai calling the shots over encrypted phones. The structure often breaks down as follows: A 'control team' orchestrating everything by encrypted phones, in contact with the captain or crew of a mother ship, and tracking its movements, and the various teams at the receiving end; A 'boat team' on the vessel, which exits a South American port, either with the drugs already on board or collected en route and rendezvous with a team at the receiving country; A 'maritime team' is based on a departure point on the coast of the country and when told by the control team, leaves on a RHIB to a designated area at sea and collects the drugs and brings them to a landing point — separate to their departure point. This team then travels either back to their original staring point or another one and leaves; A 'ground team' collects the drugs from the maritime team and loads into a waiting van and typically in Ireland's case drives by motorway to the North and gets a ferry to Scotland, unless some or all the haul is for Ireland. In some cases, the control team might have a second ground team ready, just in case. In addition, authorities are aware of specialist 'all Ireland' gangs, typically based along the border, that provide the ground team service. 'This is a sophisticated system,' a security source said. 'It doesn't always work, as we know, but they don't need it to work all the time and they factor in that shipments will be lost, but that have billions to throw at this.' Ireland bombarded by cocaine shipments At we can see at the map, Ireland is being bombarded by huge cocaine shipments coming across the Atlantic. Estimates based on Garda and Revenue figures indicate that around 930kgs of cocaine has been seized so far this year, compared to about 760kgs of cocaine in 2024. 2023 was a record year, with approximately 3.45 tonnes of cocaine seized. Even excluding the MV Matthew's 2.25 tonnes, an additional 1.2 tonnes was seized during the rest of the year. There has been a massive rise in seizures of just five or 10 years ago. Between 2016 and 2021 the annual total seized ranged from a low of 52kgs in 2017 to a high of 138kgs in 2020. Trying to estimate just how much gets in, without being seized, is very difficult. 'You are never certain how much we are seizing and how much is getting in, but the 10-15% estimate is probably true,' said one security source. The consignments of cocaine bound for Europe that are being seized indicates the sheer scale of cocaine smuggling. MAOC-N made two record hauls of cocaine last year — each of them a colossal 10.5 tonnes. Both consignments were seized by the French Navy, one in the Caribbean and the other Gulf of Guinea, off west Africa, a major supply route to Europe. Drugs hauls around Ireland since April 2023. ie070725 In all, MAOC-N and partner countries seized a total of around 70 tonnes of cocaine in 2024. So far this year, the figure stands at 34.5 tonnes, including one nine-tonne haul, again by the French Navy in the Caribbean, and a 6.4-tonne seizure by the French in the Gulf of Guinea. The EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) said in June that record quantities of cocaine have been seized in Europe in 2023, for the seventh year in a row — 419 tonnes, compared to 323 tonnes in 2022. And just this month the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported record high cocaine production levels, nearly doubling since 2020. 'Europe is being bombarded with cocaine and has been since the start of 2023 and Ireland is on the west coast of Europe,' a security source said. The EUDA and Europol, the EU police agency, have been warning in recent years that because of increased security at the two biggest ports for cocaine importation in Europe — Antwerp and Rotterdam — cartels are redirecting part of the trade to smaller ports in Europe, such as ones in France, Sweden and Denmark. Experts here believe Ireland is definitely part of that trend: 'Absolutely, 100% yes,' said a source. 'Every port in Europe is vulnerable. Cartels look for weaknesses wherever they can find them.' Ireland a weak spot in Europe Compounding this factor is the perceived poor levels of maritime security in Ireland. 'Cartels see and hear that Ireland is a point of least resistance, with the well-publicised lack of naval assets and air cover and the crisis in staffing,' a source said. The Naval Service struggles to get more than one long range patrol ship out at any one time, while a dire shortage of controllers at Baldonnell is restricting and delaying Air Corps patrols and their ability to respond to requests at speed. One security source said the drug operations don't always need a physical aircraft in the sky — namely the Air Corps CASA C295 — and that drones would do the job. 'These gangs are so clever that a RHIB might leave point A and, you think, it's to deliver to point B, say a beach, but the RHIB collects the drugs from the vessel and drops the load at point C, somewhere else, to be picked up by another vessel that you don't know about. If you don't have air surveillance we don't know this.' Some other sources differ to a degree, saying the CASA may actually be cheaper than similar military-grade drones with a similar sensor suite. There can also be issues with endurance of drones and their sensor payload. Another source with knowledge of the Air Corps said that the Defence Forces was 'years behind' where they should be in MALE (medium altitude long endurance) drone space. 'They are like little small planes and have endurance for nine to 12 hours and can give persistence in an operating area in surveillance, say over a mothership," the source said. You could then bring a CASA in, which could react quicker and have better sensors, at least in radar. The source said that the central problem limiting the Air Corps — which has received extensive publicity recently — is the lack of controllers, operating, thought to be at less than 50% capacity. 'Without controllers you can't dispatch a CASA, so if there is a call from the gardaí or Customs for air cover outside nine-to-five Monday to Friday, there is going to be a delay as you have to call in a controller on a rest day and scramble a crew. 'Now they did it on Tuesday (CASA departed at 3.50am, although not clear when request came in) but, generally, there's a significant issue there.' This source blamed 'inaction and mostly lack of ambition' at both DFHQ and Department of Defence level in pushing the need to invest in a military-grade maritime drone. A second source agreed: 'We need drones now, but there seems to be very little movement.' The programme for government makes the following commitment: 'Fund innovative law enforcement technologies including unmanned drones to patrol our coast and ports and detect the trafficking of illegal drugs. 'This will supplement the work of our air and naval services in this sphere.' A Maritime Interdiction Team (MIT) receiving a briefing at sea. Picture: Gardaí Asked about steps to implement this pledge, the Department of Justice did not say if was not working on this area and said queries around the operational requirements of gardaí were a matter for Garda HQ. It said the procurement and use of drones by the Defence Forces in an Aid to the Civil Power [ATCP] capacity, including drug interdiction at sea, was a matter Department of Defence and Defence Forces. In a statement, the Department of Defence said: 'The Air Corps currently does not operate unmanned aerial drones for the patrolling of Irish territorial airspace or waters. 'However it is proposed that this capability will be developed in future in line with a specific recommendation in this regard made by the Commission on the Defence Forces. 'The timeframe for this will be outlined in the updated Detailed Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which is due to be published shortly." It said the two C295 maritime aircraft, specially equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment, were delivered to the Air Corps in 2023. "These new aircraft provide a significantly enhanced maritime surveillance capability and, like all Defence Forces capabilities, can be deployed in an ATCP role in support of An Garda Síochána and in support of the Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction," it said. The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, had an estimated value of more than €157. The cargo ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023. File picture: Larry Cummins It said that, at present, the Naval Service operate a selection of "non-military specification drones" for tasks such as search and rescue, intelligence gathering and fishery protection. Sources have said that the necessary military-grade drones — one with the necessary technology, endurance, operational and regulatory capabilities — do not come cheap and that countries typically buy them in pairs. US prices would suggest two would cost around €100m. (The next CASA has a price-tag of €59m). European manufacturers, such as Airbus, also manufacture similar grade drones. 'It all depends on what exactly you want to do and what you want to spend,' one source said. 'But a drone would not be just for counter-drug operations, it could also be used for fisheries and monitoring offshore and coastal critical infrastructure.' If you are serious about security, you need to spend the money. If you don't, you pay the price. Other sources point out that cartels are constantly improvising and investing in research and engineering — including in semi-submersibles. In December 2019, Spanish authorities intercepted the first ever transatlantic semi-submersible or 'narcosub' in Europe. In March 2021, the first ever semi-submersible being constructed in Europe was uncovered in Spain. In March this year, the Portugese navy intercepted a narcosub in the Azores after travelling from Brazil with a colossal 6.5 tonnes of cocaine — and five crew — on board. Last week Colombian Navy seized a narco-sub with a satellite antenna on the bow, possibly allowing it to be operated remotely by cartels without the need for a crew. Some sources here suspect cartels will also begin using drones to transport cocaine consignments. 'The west African cocaine route is a major supplier to Europe, so use of drones across the Mediterranean is very possible," said a security source. "You could also start seeing the likes of a cargo ship out in the Atlantic launching a drone — without the need for RHIBs." Another source said: 'Cartels are spending billions on technology. They have more cocaine than they know what to do with and people in Ireland and across Europe are desperate to shove it up their noses and not think about how it got there. 'Meanwhile, our navy and air corps is depleted and the government just makes statements and promises. This problem is getting bigger and bigger and we need action — now.'

Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh dies suddenly at home
Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh dies suddenly at home

Sunday World

time16 hours ago

  • Sunday World

Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh dies suddenly at home

A former member of the gang led by Martin 'The General' Cahill, he was an uncle of jailed Kinahan Cartel man Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh Veteran gangland figure Jo Jo Kavanagh has died after being treated for an illness in a Dublin hospital. A former member of the gang led by Martin 'The General' Cahill, he was an uncle of jailed Kinahan Cartel man Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. He was also an uncle to murdered gangsters Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh (pictured below) and Paul Kavanagh, believed to have been killed on the orders of the Kinahans. A notice posted online said that Kavanagh had died suddenly at home on July 2. It stated the funeral was private for family and close friends. Kavanagh, from Crumlin, became notorious after his role in the infamous tiger-kidnap of bank director Jim Lacey by The General's gang. Gerard Kavanagh Armed and masked men took Lacey and members of his family hostage after invading his Blackrock home in November 1993. Threatened with being shot, the banker's wife Suzanne, children and a babysitter were held as Mr Lacey was forced to carry out the gang's orders. Jo Jo Kavanagh turned up at the house and changed into one of the victim's suits and told him that he was also a hostage. Jo Jo Kavanagh was an uncle of Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 6th His job was to accompany the bank director to the branch at College Green the next morning and to take the available cash. It later emerged there was an estimated €7 to €8 million in the vaults of the National Irish Bank branch. Fearing being trapped in the vaults if the Gardaí had been alerted, Kavanagh did not venture in to inspect it, missing out on what would have been the biggest ever heist in Ireland at the time. He took £243,000 punts from the branch manager and loaded it into his van before driving away with members of the Lacey family later found in a stable near the Phoenix Park. Jo Jo Kavanagh would later tell gardaí that he had been kidnapped and forced to carry out the gang's demands, handing over the money to a motorcyclist. Gardaí did not believe his story and, given his previous convictions for armed robbery, he became a suspect. The following January Kavanagh was shot in the leg when he said he was confronted by masked men who asked why he hadn't taken all the money from the bank. When asked by Evening Herald reporter Brendan Farrelly, if he had staged the shooting, Kavanagh denied it. He served seven years of a 12-year sentence and emerged from prison in 2003 when it was reported he was no longer involved in crime. Other members of his extended family remained involved in gang activity, as organised criminals switched from heists to hard drugs. His nephew Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, a Criminal Assets Bureau target in the mid 1990s, rose to become the Kinahan Cartel's number one man in the UK. Hie is serving a 21-year sentence for a multi-million-euro cocaine smuggling plot and got another conviction over a bid to hide weapons for the police to find in return for leniency. Jo Jo Kavanagh's nephews, brothers Gerard 'Hatchet' and Paul Kavanagh were also high- profile gangsters involved in the drugs trade linked to the Kinahan Cartel. 'Hatchet' Kavanagh was murdered in Spain in 2014 while Paul died in 2015 after being shot in Drumcondra after being lured to a meeting.

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