Gardaí arrest 10 in 'dramatic' raid on suspected drug smuggling operation in West Cork
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Up to 10 men are in custody following a dynamic and dramatic garda operation in West Cork on Thursday triggered by a suspected drug smuggling operation onto a remote pier.
The suspects, who were arrested at various locations near Skibbereen, were being held in garda stations in Cork for questioning about the alleged activity, under organised crime legislation.
A campervan and an articulated truck have been seized for forensic examination. No drugs were found but garda investigations are continuing and searches are ongoing.
They are also understood to be looking for a rib which was seen acting suspiciously off the south-west coast earlier.
The first visible signs of the major garda operation were in the coastal village of Tragumna, near Skibbereen, on Thursday morning when gardaí swooped on an articulated truck that had been parked near a small pier close to Tragumna beach.
It is understood that the truck had been parked there overnight, raising suspicions locally. It was removed from the area at around 11am this morning.
Gardaí swooped on the vehicle early on Thursday.
A short time later, gardaí intercepted a campervan as it drove along the N71 through Leap village, about 16km northeast of Tragumna.
Locals described dramatic scenes as several marked and unmarked garda cars surrounded the vehicle and forced it to stop.
A number of detectives and gardaí surrounded the vehicle and detained at least five men who it's understood were travelling in it.
They were restrained and detained on the road, while gardaí searched the campervan and several bags which were stowed on board.
Initially, it was not clear if the swoop on the campervan was connected to the earlier garda operation at Tragumna.
It is understood that garda units from across the region were redeployed from their regular duties, and drafted in to support the operation in the wider Skibbereen area, which resulted in the establishment of checkpoints on strategic routes in and out of the region, including in Bantry.
In a statement on Thursday night, gardaí said: “This morning 14 March 2024 An Garda Síochána commenced an operation in West Cork. During the course of the Operation 10 males (ages ranging from mid 20s to mid50s) were arrested.
"All 10 males continue to be detained at Garda Station in County Cork under Organised Crime legislation. A number of vehicles were also detained and remain detained subject to ongoing technical examination. An Garda Síochána is making no further comment at this time.”
The men who have been detained by gardaí are a mix of nationalities, including Irish.
An eyewitness who drove past one of the incidents said it was “like something out of Love Hate.”
The witness, who asked not to be named, was driving to work when they saw a man lying on the ground by a large white campervan at about 7.30am in Leap.
“When we drove past first we thought it was a road accident so we pulled up to see if everyone was OK," they said.
The operation has again focused attention on the use of remote coastal areas for drug smuggling.
In 1993, the Tragumna area was the scene of a major drug seizure.
Locals reported an unmarked yacht anchor a short distance offshore and noticed people coming ashore in a rubber dinghy and then going into a nearby cottage that had been rented some days before by people with a van.
Acting on this intelligence, gardaí mounted a simultaneous raid on the van and boat and recovered 175kg of cannabis in the van and a similar amount on board the vessel.
They arrested three people and believe a fourth may have got away.
A third batch of the drug was found hidden in a ditch during follow-up searches.
The total 550kg seizure was at the time the third-largest seizure of the drug in the history of the State.
The total street value of the haul, depending on how it is sold, was estimated to have a street value at the time of between £3.8m and £5m.
Local gardaí said they believed the cannabis may have come from Morocco.
That seizure came just a month after Customs officers seized around 150kg of cannabis resin in sand dunes at Warren Beach, Rosscarbery, 12 miles away.