Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 6922Drug trafficking (cocaine) · Co. Wexford · 16 Dec 2023

Man arrested after €876,000 cocaine seized at Rosslare Europort, Co Wexford

Revenue officers seized about 12.5kg of cocaine, valued at an estimated €876,000, at Rosslare Europort in Co Wexford on Saturday 16 December 2023. The drugs were in a freight unit that had come off a ferry from Cherbourg, France. Gardaí arrested a man in his 50s, whose nationality is not stated, and he was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at a Garda station in Co Wexford. The latest reports, dated 18 December 2023, say investigations are ongoing and no charge or court appearance is reported.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrested16 Dec
    4 reports
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Revenue officers seized an estimated 12.5kg of suspected cocaine, and a man in his 50s was arrested by Gardaí in relation to the seizure.
  • The cocaine was valued at an estimated €876,000, although one report gives the value as almost €1 million.
Where
  • The cocaine was seized at Rosslare Europort, Co Wexford, in a freight unit that had come off a ferry from Cherbourg, France.
  • The man is being held at a Garda station in County Wexford, which the Garda statement describes as in the Eastern Region.
When
The seizure took place on Saturday 16 December 2023.
Cause
Revenue found the cocaine after a risk profiling assessment of arriving traffic and a search using its mobile X-ray scanner.
Investigation
  • Revenue said the seizure is part of its ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.
  • Investigations are ongoing, according to the Garda statement issued on 18 December 2023.
Charges
The man was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996; no charge is reported in the sources.
In court
No court appearance is reported in the sources.
Other details
A Garda press release dated 18 December 2023 confirmed the arrest and the estimated value of the cocaine.
31 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA man in his 50s was arrested by Gardaí following a seizure of cocaine. (garda.ie)
  • whatAbout 12.5kg of cocaine was found in a freight unit. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatRevenue officers seized an estimated 12.5kg of suspected cocaine. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe cocaine was valued at €876,000. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatRevenue officers seized about 12.5kg of cocaine valued at over €876,000. (corkbeo.ie)
  • whereThe cocaine was seized at Rosslare Europort. (garda.ie, corkbeo.ie)
  • whereThe cocaine was seized at the ferry port in Rosslare. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe freight unit came off a ferry that had arrived from Cherbourg, France. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe seizure took place at Rosslare Europort Harbour. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe freight had arrived on a ferry from Cherbourg in France. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe drugs were found in an accompanied freight unit that had come off a ferry from Cherbourg, France. (corkbeo.ie)
  • whereThe man was detained at a Garda station in County Wexford. (corkbeo.ie)
  • whenThe seizure took place on Saturday 16 December 2023. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
  • whenRevenue officers made the find on a Saturday. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe seizure took place on a Saturday over the weekend. (corkbeo.ie)
  • causeThe drugs were found after Revenue made a risk profiling assessment. (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeThe seizure followed risk profiling and used Revenue's mobile x-ray scanner. (corkbeo.ie)
  • investigationInvestigations are ongoing. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie, corkbeo.ie)
  • investigationRevenue used risk profiling and a mobile X-ray scanner to search arriving traffic for contraband. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationRevenue said the seizure is part of its ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe search used Revenue's mobile X-ray scanner. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationGardaí arrested a man in his 50s in relation to the seizure. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationA man in his 50s was arrested by the Garda Síochána. (corkbeo.ie)
  • chargeThe man is being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. (garda.ie)
  • chargeThe man is detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe seized cocaine had an estimated value of €876,000. (garda.ie)
  • otherThe cocaine was estimated to be worth €876,000. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherA man in his 50s was arrested under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe arrested man is being detained at a Garda station in Co Wexford. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe man is being held at a Garda station in County Wexford. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe arrested man was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. (corkbeo.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 18 Dec2023
    Arrestedcorkbeo.ie, follow-up
    Major cocaine seizure at Rosslare Port as arrest made

    Reports a 12.5kg cocaine seizure at Rosslare Europort, found in a freight unit from a ferry from Cherbourg, France, and an arrest of a man in his 50s. This is a different seizure from case 6794 (49kg, €3.43m, 12 January 2024).

    suspect, 50s, male
  2. 18 Dec2023
    Arrestedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Man arrested after gardai discover €876k of cocaine on freight from France

    Reports a cocaine seizure at Rosslare Europort on 16 December 2023, the freight's origin in France, the use of risk profiling and an X-ray scanner, and the arrest of a man in his 50s under drug trafficking legislation. No existing case matches this seizure.

    suspect, 50s, male
  3. 18 Dec2023
    Arrestedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Cocaine valued at €1 million found on freight unit in Rosslare

    Adds that the freight unit came off a ferry from Cherbourg, France; how Revenue found it (risk profiling and mobile X-ray scanning); the arrest was made under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996; and Revenue's statement that the seizure is part of its ongoing anti-smuggling work.

    suspect, 50s, male
  4. 16 Dec2023
    Arrestedgarda.ie, follow-up
    Arrest - €876,000 Cocaine Seizure, Rosslare, Co.Wexford - 16th December 2023

    Official Garda press release confirming the arrest, the Revenue seizure value, the detention under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at a Garda station in the Eastern Region, and that investigations are ongoing.

    suspect, 50s, male