The activities of an international drug trafficking syndicate are thought to have been curbed by Gardaí with the recent apprehension of 10 men in west Cork. The arrestees, suspected of attempting to usher a cocaine shipment from an offshore vessel into Ireland, were taken into custody in the towns of Leap and Tragumna close to Skibbereen at approximately 7:30 am on Thursday.
This result was achieved joint by officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Cork County Divisional Drug Unit. However, no narcotics were found on site. Six of the apprehended suspects were intercepted in a foreign-plated camper van in Leap, while an additional three were in a 4×4 and another was departing Tragumna in a large articulated lorry.
The larrry had drawn local attention after it pulled into a car park near the Skibbereen Eagle pub at around midnight on Wednesday. One local observer remarked, “The sight of articulated lorries in Tragumna is quite unusual – the path into the town is extremely narrow and there is no feasible reason for a large lorry to navigate through, so it’s arrival incited immediate suspicion.”
Upon inspection, the foreign-plated lorry revealed a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) fitted with three potent engines. It’s thought that the syndicate had planned to utilise the boat to retrieve a drug stash from a ship off the coast.
However, conjecture is that they were foiled by stormy seas. The group then allegedly relaunched the boat, and upon their forced return to land, readied it for re-transport. They were on the brink of leaving Tragumna when the Gardaí intercepted them. It was reported that at the time of arrest, clothing worn by the six suspects nabbed in Leap remained wet.
According to Gardaí, this internationally formed group is composed of ten men aged between mid-20s to mid-50s, including six Spanish, two Dutch, a Serbian and a fellow from Northern Ireland. Their believed involvement lies in the procurement and dispersal of narcotics within Europe from South America.
The individuals under suspicion of being part of a structured criminal gang were apprehended, according to Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, allowing the police to keep the suspects in custody for a maximum of seven days, post which they must either be charged or let go. The detainees are currently held at Garda stations in Bandon and Bantry (West Cork), the Bridewell and Togher (Cork City), and Mallow (North Cork).
The camper van and the truck were relocated to a secure area near Cork city for inspection. Customs officers plan to use scanners and x-ray equipment to search for hidden narcotics. It’s anticipated that the police’s crime scene investigators will study both vehicles for any DNA or fingerprint traces.
In addition to this, communication between the customs, the Naval Service and international law enforcement agencies is underway to pinpoint the delivery vessel which had the drugs meant for a thwarted meet-up.