Thursday 29 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. 7491Drug trafficking (suspected cocaine) · Co. Wexford · 24 Sep 2023

Two men arrested after trawler with suspected cocaine runs aground off Wexford

On Sunday 24 September 2023, a fishing trawler believed to be carrying an estimated €140 million of suspected cocaine ran aground on a sandbank off Blackwater, Co Wexford. Two men, understood to be foreign nationals, were winched from the trawler to a Naval Service vessel, where they were understood to have been arrested, and were questioned at a Garda station in Wexford. Gardaí and the Defence Forces were still searching for the cargo on Monday 25 September, and it was not believed any bales had been recovered as of Monday night. No charges or court proceedings have been reported.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrested25 Sep
    2 reports
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • A fishing trawler believed to be carrying suspected cocaine ran aground off Co Wexford.
  • The Irish Mirror estimated the suspected cocaine at €140 million.
  • Multiple bales of suspected cocaine were understood to be floating in the sea.
Where
  • The trawler got into difficulty and ran aground near Blackwater, Co Wexford.
  • The trawler was believed to have departed from Castletownbere and had earlier docked in Co Cork.
When
The trawler ran aground late on Sunday night, with one report giving 11:30pm on 24 September 2023.
Cause
  • The trawler hit a sandbank off Blackwater, which caused a hole in the hull.
  • Poor weather made the rescue operation and the checks on the cargo difficult.
Investigation
  • The vessel had been monitored by the navy and the Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau before it ran aground.
  • Two men were winched from the trawler deck to a Naval Service vessel, where they were understood to have been arrested; one report says a number of people rescued from the water were arrested.
  • The two men were understood to be foreign nationals with little English and were questioned at a Garda station in Wexford.
  • Defence Forces personnel remained involved in the search for cargo on Monday 25 September.
Other details
It was not believed any bales had been recovered as of Monday night.
Charges
No charges have been reported in the sources.
19 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA boat gardaí believe was carrying a large consignment of cocaine ran aground off Co Wexford. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatTwo men on the boat were winched to safety and taken to a Naval Service vessel. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatTwo men were arrested after a fishing trawler with an estimated €140 million of suspected cocaine ran aground in Co Wexford. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatMultiple bales of suspected cocaine were understood to be floating in the sea. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe trawler was believed to have departed from Castletownbere. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe vessel got into difficulty near Blackwater, Co Wexford. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe trawler had been in Irish waters for some time and had docked in Co Cork at one point. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe trawler hit a sandbank off the coast of Blackwater, causing a hole in the ship. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe vessel got into difficulty late on Sunday night. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe ship is believed to have run aground at 11:30pm on Sunday. (irishmirror.ie)
  • causePoor weather made the rescue operation difficult. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationA number of people rescued from the water were arrested and questioned at a Co Wexford Garda station. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationChecks to determine the exact cargo were frustrated by bad weather. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationDefence Forces personnel remained involved in the search for cargo on Monday. (irishtimes.com)
  • investigationThe vessel was being monitored by the navy and Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau officers. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe two men were plucked from the trawler deck and taken onto a naval vessel, where naval and garda officers were waiting. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe two men were understood to have been arrested when they reached the naval vessel. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherIt was not believed that any of the bales had been recovered as of Monday night. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe two men were understood to be foreign nationals with little English and were being questioned at a Garda station in Wexford. (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 26 Sep2023
    Arrestedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Two arrested after trawler with €140m worth of suspected cocaine runs aground

    Reports that the trawler ran aground on Sunday night, that the two men were winched onto a naval vessel and arrested, that bales of suspected cocaine may be floating in the sea, and that the men are being questioned at a Garda station in Wexford.

    suspect, malesuspect, male
  2. 25 Sep2023
    Arrestedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Boat suspected of carrying large amount of cocaine runs aground in Co Wexford

    First report of the incident. Adds the grounding, the rescue of two men by helicopter, the arrests of people rescued from the water, and the trawler's recent movements along the south coast.

    suspect