Ireland Case No. 6271Drug trafficking (attempted importation of cocaine, suspected) · Co. Cork
Gardaí arrest suspects over alleged attempted cocaine pickup by boat from Tragumna, Co Cork
On 14 March 2024 gardaí arrested ten men aged from mid-20s to mid-50s in rural West Cork, at Leap and Tragumna near Skibbereen, on suspicion of attempting to land cocaine by boat. A lorry carrying a rigid inflatable boat had reached Tragumna on 11 March, and the arrests followed surveillance and armed stops of a lorry, campervan and SUV. Bandon District Court heard applications to extend the men's detention under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, and sources differ on whether the extension was 48 or 72 hours. As of the latest reports, from 18 and 19 March, no drugs have been seized, no one has been charged, and the ship involved has not been identified.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested14 Mar
7 reports - Chargednot reported
- In court15 Mar
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Gardaí arrested ten men in West Cork on suspicion of attempting to land cocaine by boat from a ship offshore.
- Armed officers stopped a lorry, a campervan and an SUV during the operation.
- Where
- The arrests were made at Leap and Tragumna near Skibbereen, with four suspects arrested at Tragumna and six in Leap.
- When
- The arrests took place at about 7.30am on Thursday 14 March 2024, after the Garda National Drugs Unit had kept the men under surveillance.
- The lorry had left Cherbourg on a ferry to Rosslare on 5 March, disembarked on 6 March and arrived in Tragumna on the evening of Monday 11 March.
- Cause
- Gardaí believe a six-man landing party left Tragumna slip in a rigid inflatable boat to meet a mother ship, but failed to link up and abandoned the mission after about two days at sea.
- Investigation
- No drugs were recovered or seized, and a 40ft rigid inflatable boat with three high-powered engines was found on the lorry trailer.
- Gardaí believe the men are members of an international organised crime group, and Investigators are satisfied they constituted an Organised Criminal Group.
- Gardaí are working with the Naval Service, Customs, Interpol and the Maritime Analysis and Operational Centre in Portugal to identify the ship involved.
- Gardaí seized 43 electronic devices and obtained CCTV footage, with reports giving 120 hours and 450 hours.
- Gardaí searched two residential premises in Dublin and asked the PSNI to search a commercial premises in Northern Ireland, where the lorry was believed to have been stored.
- In court
- Chief Supt Vincent O'Sullivan applied to Bandon District Court to extend the detention of the ten men, and Judge James McNulty granted extensions for all of them, with sources giving 48 or 72 hours.
- Charges
- The men were arrested on suspicion of Organised Crime Group membership and detained under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, and no suspect has been charged.
- Other details
- Sources give two different nationality breakdowns: six Spaniards, two Dutch nationals, one Serbian and one man from Co Fermanagh, or one Irishman, two Dutch nationals and seven Spanish men.
- The lorry driver is reported as a 37-year-old man from Co Fermanagh, and gardaí suspect the operation was run from Spain and involved a Colombian cartel.
104 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGardaí arrested 10 men in west Cork whom they suspect were in the area to land cocaine from a ship offshore. (irishtimes.com)
- whatSix suspects were arrested after a foreign-registered camper van was stopped in Leap. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThree other men were arrested in a 4x4, and another man was arrested leaving Tragumna in an articulated lorry. (irishtimes.com)
- whatTen men were arrested. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatArmed officers stopped a lorry, a campervan and an SUV. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGardaí arrested 10 men. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatTen males were arrested, aged from mid-20s to mid-50s. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatGardaí believe the operation was a planned delivery of a large consignment of cocaine to a drug-trafficking gang in west Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whatTen men are being held in Cork garda stations after being stopped during a suspected smuggling plan. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatGardaí seized a campervan, an SUV and an articulated lorry. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatGardaí are investigating an organised crime group suspected of trying to smuggle cocaine into west Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe arrests were made in Leap and Tragumna villages near Skibbereen. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe incident took place near Tragumna. (corkbeo.ie)
- whereThe men were arrested when gardaí stopped a camper van in Leap village and later a 4X4 and an articulated lorry at Tragumna near Skibbereen. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe operation took place in rural West Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe lorry was stopped near Skibbereen. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereGardaí believe a six-man landing party put to sea from Tragumna slip in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe suspected haul was brought into the country via a pier in the Tragumna area, near Skibbereen. (corkbeo.ie)
- whereFour suspects were arrested at Tragumna near Skibbereen and six in Leap village. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe lorry arrived in Tragumna near Skibbereen on the evening of Monday, March 11. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe RIB was unloaded and launched from the Tragumna slipway under cover of darkness. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe arrests took place at about 7.30am on Thursday. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe operation began on 14 March 2024. (corkbeo.ie)
- whenThe 10 men were arrested on Thursday morning. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe operation began on the morning of 14 March 2024. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenAll ten men were arrested around 7.30am on a Thursday. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe application was made at a special sitting of Bandon District Court on a Monday evening. (irishtimes.com)
- whenAn articulated lorry carrying the RIB boarded a ferry bound for Rosslare on March 5. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe lorry disembarked in Rosslare on March 6. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMembers of the gang flew into Dublin Airport over the weekend of March 8 to 10. (irishtimes.com)
- causeGardaí suspect the gang launched the boat but abandoned the mission because of rough seas. (irishtimes.com)
- causeGardaí said the men were arrested after foiling a suspected plot to smuggle drugs into Ireland. (irishmirror.ie)
- causeExperts suspect a large amount of cocaine may have been dumped off the coast. (corkbeo.ie)
- causeGardaí believe the suspects were in the area to collect drugs to be dropped off the west Cork coast. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationNo drugs were recovered. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí found a Rigid Inflatable Boat with three high-powered engines in the lorry trailer. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationCustoms officers were due to examine the camper van and lorry with scanners and x-ray equipment for concealed drugs. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí believe the men are members of an international gang supplying drugs into Europe from South America. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí have not confirmed any drug seizure. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationThe vehicles have been seized for investigation. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationGardaí are investigating a suspected international drug trafficking gang in Co Cork and are liaising with police in several other countries and the PSNI. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí seized and examined 43 separate electronic devices. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí harvested 120 hours of CCTV from locations in west Cork and elsewhere. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí recovered a large Rigid Inflatable Boat on a trailer at Tragumna. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí recovered four diving suits in one of the vehicles. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDrugs and Organised Crime Bureau officers were centrally involved in the operation. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationInvestigators believe an international drugs gang was trying to land cocaine at a pier in the area. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe plan was reportedly to meet another ship off the coast and bring drugs ashore. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationNo drugs were seized. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí are working with the Naval Service, Customs and several foreign law-enforcement agencies to identify the ship involved. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí suspect the group was an organised crime group planning to import drugs into Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were questioning all 10 suspects at Bantry and Bandon Garda stations and other Cork stations. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe Garda National Drugs Unit had the men under surveillance before moving in on Thursday. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationThe Irish Defence Forces are assisting in a maritime search of Cork waters. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationInterpol and the Maritime Analysis and Operational Centre in Portugal are also involved in the operation. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationGardaí have seized electronic devices, including phones of people living in the Tragumna area. (corkbeo.ie)
- investigationGardaí searched two residential premises in Dublin and asked the PSNI to search a commercial premises in Northern Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí obtained 31 further electronic devices, including phones and SIM cards, which need data extracted. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationSome suspects gave gardaí PIN numbers for their phones, while others refused. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí seized Iridium satellite phones and must contact experts in the United States to extract information from them. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí obtained 450 hours of CCTV footage that must be examined. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí seized a Zephyr camper van, a Land Rover Discovery jeep and an articulated lorry in west Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí are making inquiries with the PSNI and police forces in Scotland, France, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí asked French police to help identify who brought a small boat to Cherbourg. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí asked the PSNI to search a commercial premises in Northern Ireland where the lorry was believed to have been stored. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were maintaining surveillance at Tragumna after a concerned citizen reported suspicious activity around a camper van. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí asked the PSNI to help find out who hired the camper van and when. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeThe men are detained under Organised Crime legislation. (corkbeo.ie)
- courtChief Supt Vincent O'Sullivan applied to Bandon District Court for a 72-hour extension to the detention of 10 men arrested in west Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge granted the 72-hour extension for all 10 men. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe 10 extension applications were heard separately under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. (irishtimes.com)
- courtGardaí applied at Bandon District Court to extend the detention of 10 suspects. (irishtimes.com)
- courtChief Supt Vincent O'Sullivan applied for a 48-hour extension to the detention of 10 suspects held under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge granted extensions in the cases of all suspects so gardaí can continue questioning them until Thursday morning. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJudge James McNulty granted gardaí a 72-hour extension of detention under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe men were arrested on suspicion of membership of an Organised Crime Group and detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe men are reported to be six Spaniards, two Dutch nationals, one Serbian and one man from Northern Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe suspects are held at Bandon, Bantry, Bridewell, Togher and Mallow Garda stations. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe arrested men included one Irishman, two Dutch nationals and seven Spanish men. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherInvestigators believe an international gang was trying to land cocaine at a pier in the area. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherThe planned method was reportedly a boat swap with a ship off the coast. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherThe 10 men include six Spaniards, two Dutch men, one Serbian and a man from Co Fermanagh. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí believe the alleged gang moved to Co Cork a week ago to prepare to collect a large cocaine consignment worth tens of millions of euros off the south west coast. (irishtimes.com)
- otherInvestigators are satisfied the men constituted an Organised Criminal Group. (irishtimes.com)
- otherAn Irishman was driving the lorry. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherTwo Dutch nationals were in the SUV. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherSeven Spanish men were in the campervan. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe men were held under Organised Crime legislation. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherVehicles were detained for technical examination. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGardaí received a call from a concerned citizen about men in a camper van acting suspiciously at Tragumna slip. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe landing party failed to link up with the mother ship and abandoned the mission after almost two days at sea. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThree men in a Land Rover Discovery jeep were arrested near Tragumna slip. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe driver of an articulated lorry was arrested as he tried to leave the car park in Tragumna. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe six-man landing party was arrested when gardaí stopped a Zephyr camper van in the centre of Leap village. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA 40ft rigid inflatable boat with three high-powered engines and 1,450 litres of petrol was found hidden in the lorry trailer. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe lorry driver is a 37-year-old man from Co Fermanagh and the others are foreign nationals. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí suspect the operation was run from Spain and involved a Colombian cartel. (corkbeo.ie)
- otherNo suspect has been charged with any offence. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA suspected drugs gang used the boat to try to collect a cocaine consignment from South America. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe boat crew failed to meet the ship as planned and stayed at sea for two days. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí arrested two Dutch nationals and a Spaniard near Tragumna slip. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA 37-year-old man from Co Fermanagh was arrested as he was about to drive away in the lorry. (irishtimes.com)
- otherGardaí arrested five Spaniards and a Serbian man in Leap village after they left Tragumna in a camper van hired in Northern Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- otherAn expert said the gang may have spent more than €500,000 on the RIB and its engines. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 19 Mar2024Gardaí contact French police to try to identify who brought boat to Cork for use by drug gang
Adds detail on how a suspected cocaine smuggling operation was run: a lorry and RIB routed through France, Rosslare and Northern Ireland, a failed rendezvous at sea, and arrests at Tragumna and Leap. The article does not say that anyone has been charged. Its arrest total may overlap, as one of the Spaniards arrested near Tragumna may also be among the five Spaniards arrested in Leap.
suspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, 37, malesuspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, Serbian, non-irish - 18 Mar2024Gardaí investigating group suspected of smuggling cocaine into Cork search properties in Dublin
First report on this investigation. Gives the detention extension hearing at Bandon District Court, the arrest locations, the searches in Dublin, devices and CCTV seized, and inquiries in other jurisdictions. No suspects are named.
suspect, 48, Dutch, non-irish - 18 Mar2024Drugs could be 'dumped' off Cork coast as Gardai hunt for foiled smuggling haul
Article of 18 March 2024 reports that ten men are still held in Cork garda stations, that the Defence Forces, Interpol and a Portuguese maritime centre are involved in the search, and that gardaí suspect a Spanish-run operation with a Colombian cartel. No charges are reported.
suspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Serbian, non-irishsuspect, male, Serbian, non-irish - 17 Mar2024Gardaí believe ship off Cork coast was involved in planned delivery of cocaine to drug gang
Adds details of the suspected cocaine landing attempt, the arrest of ten men at Tragumna and Leap, a 72-hour detention extension granted at Bandon District Court, the boat and fuel found, and the ongoing search for the ship involved.
suspect, 37, male, irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, non-irish (judged from name)suspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Serbian, non-irish - 16 Mar202410 men arrested and vehicles detained in Cork garda operation
Adds that the 10 men were arrested on 14 March 2024, that the lorry, campervan and SUV were stopped near Skibbereen, that the men were detained under Organised Crime legislation, that no drugs had been seized, and that the suspected plan involved a rendezvous with another ship off the coast.
suspect, male, Irish, irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irish - 15 Mar2024Judge extends period of detention of 10 members of suspected drug trafficking gang
Adds that Judge James McNulty granted 72-hour detention extensions for all 10 men at Bandon District Court, the nationalities of the suspects, the investigative steps taken (43 devices seized, 120 hours of CCTV), and gardaí's belief that the group was an organised criminal group.
suspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Serbian, non-irishsuspect, male - 15 Mar2024Irish, Dutch and Spanish smugglers arrested as details of Cork drug plot emerge
Adds the nationalities of the arrested men (one Irish, two Dutch, seven Spanish), the suspected plan to land cocaine at a pier, the vehicles seized for investigation, and the Garda statement confirming the detention under Organised Crime legislation.
suspect, male, Irish, irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Dutch, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irishsuspect, male, Spanish, non-irish - 14 Mar2024Ten arrests in Co Cork as gardaí target international drug trafficking gang
Adds that the arrests were at about 7.30am, that the group is believed to be an international gang supplying drugs from South America, the vehicles and boat found, the men's reported nationalities, and where they are being held. No drugs were recovered.
suspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, male