Looking back at 2022: August - Gardaí swoop to seize €8.4m of cocaine in south Longford
The use of Abbeyshrule Aerodrome as a drugs drop point was described as “shocking, but it's not surprising”.
In August, a swoop by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) resulted in the arrest of two men and the impounding of the plane allegedly used to transport €8.4m worth of drugs.
The men at the centre of the largest drugs seizure in county Longford were denied bail at a special sitting of Mullingar District Court.
Tim Gilchrist Jr (54), of Mavis Bank, Newrath Waterford, and Michal Luczak (41) of Primrose Avenue, Jigginstown, Naas, Kildare were charged in connection with an €8.4m cocaine seizure at Abbeyshrule aerodrome.
It's believed the remote airfield was used by a transnational organised crime gang to land the substantial quantity of cocaine.
The plane is owned by a syndicate of mainly Longford based flying enthusiasts.
The Cessna aircraft left Abbeyshrule Aerodrome last Wednesday and flew to northern France. Gardaí tracked the aircraft as it left Dieppe to return to Abbeyshrule.
“It may be shocking, but it's not surprising,” Cllr Seamus Butler said of criminal enterprise.
“They [criminal gangs] are looking for new methods all the time to get their drugs into Ireland. This is obviously a highly organised gang. To get €8.4m worth of contraband into the country takes resources and planning.”
The elected representative said the local connection may be random: “Waterford airport was used before. It's a much bigger airport than Abbeyshrule. The GNDOCB were working on very good intelligence. It's just coincidental that they used a facility in Longford.