‘Significant quantity’ of drugs found after Army Ranger Wing secures cargo ship

Police in Ireland have found a “significant quantity” of suspected drugs onboard a cargo vessel following a joint task force operation.

The co-ordinated operation, involving the Irish navy, Army Ranger Wing, Revenue and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, resulted in the “detention of a Panamanian-registered bulk cargo vessel originating in South America”.

The MV Matthew was intercepted by the Army Ranger Wing and detained in the early hours of Tuesday.

Crowds of people lined the walls of Cobh harbour as the vessel was transported to a naval base on Haulbowline in Co Cork.

Armed members of the Ranger Wing were seen on board alongside ship crew members and other Defence Forces personnel.

Three men, aged 60, 50 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of organised crime offences and are detained at garda stations in Wexford.

In a joint statement, Revenue and An Garda Siochana said the operation was conducted using Air Corps and navy assets in challenging conditions off the south-east coast of Ireland.

The agencies said “a significant quantity of suspected controlled drugs were located onboard”.

They added: “After Army Ranger Wing personnel secured the vessel, members of the Irish navy, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Revenue’s Customs Service were transferred to the cargo vessel, which is currently under escort by a naval ship to an Irish port.

“The cargo vessel will now be the subject of a detailed examination by Revenue Customs and An Garda Siochana.

“This intelligence-led operation was conducted in collaboration with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC N) based in Lisbon, Portugal, and partners from the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) and French customs service DNRED.”

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee congratulated the State and international bodies involved in the operation.

She said the drugs on board which would have “no doubt been destined for Irish and European markets”.

In a statement she said: “It will represent a blow to the organised-crime gangs involved in drug distribution internationally.”

She said it shows the success of An Garda Siochana in building coalitions to tackle transnational crime.

“Illegal drug distribution and misuse does untold damage to our communities. Criminals may seek to overcome the barrier of borders, but as shown today borders are not barriers to effective criminal co-operation.

“Tackling organised crime is a key priority for Government and is central to building safer, stronger communities. We will always provide An Garda Siochana with the support and resources they need.”

The major multi-agency operation followed an alert after a separate boat ran aground off the coast of Wexford.

The Irish Coast Guard said it received a distress call from a vessel in difficulty off the coast of Co Wexford at about 10.10 on Sunday evening.

Waterford-based coast guard helicopter R117, and Rosslare RNLI were sent to the scene where a fishing vessel was aground on a sandbank off the coast of Blackwater, Co Wexford.

After attempts to tow the vessel were unsuccessful, the people aboard were successfully winched from the vessel.

Both R117 and the Rosslare RNLI were subsequently stood down.