By Cormac O’keeffe And Eoin English Irishexaminer.com
Four men have been arrested so far and operations are continuing to detain the remaining members of the importation team. A major search operation for a suspect boat, which was used to land the drugs at Broad Strand near Courtmacsherry, is ongoing.
Two men, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested after gardaà from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stopped a van as it left the Broad Strand area earlier.
The men are believed to be European. It is understood that two other men have also been arrested.
The officers were involved in an intelligence-led joint task force drugs interdiction operation which had been in place in the area for at least the last 24-hours. They were monitoring the movements of a number of individuals and vehicles.
When the officers searched the van, they found a large quantity of suspected cocaine. The consignment was brought from a mother ship by a fast rigid inflatable boat onto Broad Strand, south of Courtmacsherry, early this morning.
Gardaà said the exact quantity and value has yet to be determined, but it is understood that up to half a tonne has been recovered, and that it could be worth up to €30m.
The two men were arrested at the scene and are currently detained in a Garda station in Cork under section 50 Criminal Justice Act 2007. They can be held for up to seven days.
The operation is being supported by the Revenue’s Customs Service, the Irish Naval Service, and local gardaà and the Irish Air Corps, which used an aircraft to monitor the entire operation.
It is thought navy and air assets are continuing operations in the search for the mothership and remaining crew.
The Irish Examiner understands that the importation attempt was organised by a British and German drug trafficking gang.
At is stands, no Irish criminals are thought to be involved, but investigations are still at an early stage.
Typically, such consignments are driven to the North before crossing by ferry to Scotland for distribution in Britain and beyond.
Gardaà are investigating if this load was taking that particular route — but believe it was destined for the UK market.