Lorry driver in suspected drug-smuggling operation in West Cork thought to be from NI
Thursday Six And Camper Near Arrested After Van Searched Men Gardaí Media A Leap, Picture: On Social Were Co Cork, Stopped
The driver of the articulated lorry at the centre of a suspected major drug-trafficking operation in West Cork this week is understood to be from the North.
Gardaí have requested use of a naval ship in the ongoing investigation into what they believe was an aborted attempt to traffick a large quantity of drugs through Ireland.
A search for a ‘mothership’ which may have been scheduled to drop a drug consignment, suspected to be cocaine, off the Cork coast is underway, it is understood. Gardaí are liaising with international police forces, including the PSNI and Interpol on the investigation.
A high-powered Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), which is believed to have been used by the men, was seized in Cork on Thursday and analysed. The boat was found to be carrying a large quantity of fuel, which could power the boat for an additional 15 hours or could have been passed on to another vessel.
The 10 men arrested by gardaí on Thursday as part of the suspected major drug-trafficking operation continue to be questioned today. They are aged in their 20s to 50s and are a mix of nationalities, including Spanish and Dutch.
The suspects are being questioned under organized crime legislation. They can be questioned for up to seven days.
The articulated truck, parked at a small remote pier on Tragumna beach in West Cork this week was the first sign of what is suspected to be a significant international drug-smuggling operation.
It is understood that the men by the lorry at the pier may have been disturbed by a local dog walker wearing a high-vis jacket on Thursday morning.
Gardaí then swooped on the men at the beach. A second garda operation successfully intercepted a campervan a few minutes later at approximately 7.30am travelling through the nearby village of Leap.
Men were removed from the vehicle, handcuffed and lay face-down on the ground while gardaí searched the campervan.
Investigations are ongoing.