Joint task force on drug interdiction, Ireland
Operation 'Sea Bight'
An international operation led by the Irish Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction (JTF), comprising of Naval, Revenue's Customs Service and Garda Siochana resources assisted by the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre, Narcotics, (MAOC-N), in Lisbon and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, UK, is ongoing off the Southwest coast of Ireland.
A number of individuals have been arrested during a boarding of a 60-foot yacht by a naval boarding team from the Naval vessel L.E. Niamh.
A substantial quantity of suspect packages of what is believed to be cocaine with an estimated street value of approx €500 million, subject to forensic analysis, have been detected onboard the yacht and are being brought to an Irish port for examination by Customs and Garda officers.
The operation is expected to continue for some time.
The boarding operation was undertaken by Naval boarding teams in adverse weather conditions and was executed expeditiously. Three males between the ages of 44 and 52 are currently in Garda custody and the investigation is continuing.
The JTF believes that this intelligence-led operation has resulted in a significant, international success in drug interdiction.
[Ends 06/11/08]