Moment special forces swoop onto cartel ship carrying £136million of cocaine
This is the incredible moment special forces swoop down from a helicopter onto a cartel’s “mother ship” carrying over £130million of cocaine.
Ireland’s Army Ranger wing stormed the deck of the huge ship in a daring operation yesterday morning. Three men, aged 31, 50, and 60, have since been arrested in what was described in a press conference from the Irish Police as “the largest drug seizure in the history of the state”.
The armed elite troops fast-roped down from a helicopter onto the Panamanian-registered MV Matthew cargo vessel. It had refused to stop in the Atlantic and the soldiers fired warning shots as they boarded. In the footage of the attack, the helicopter hovers above the huge, 630-foot ship as the vessel makes a turn in the water. Meanwhile, the Irish special forces abseil down onto the deck before spreading out and securing it.
After that, members of the Irish navy, and Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau boarded as well. It was then they found 2,250kg of cocaine - worth around £136million.
The moment special forces were fast-roping onto the ship (PA)Commander Tony Geraghty, fleet operations officer of the Irish Naval Service, said: "There was an extremely complex joint operation involving the Naval Service, the Air Corps, the Army Ranger Wing and Defence Force headquarters. And then it was [made] even more complex by environmentals that we had no control over. The weather was extremely poor.
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"And also we were trying to predict the actions of the number of crime gangs and how that would impact on us. It was very successful from a Defence Force point of view - it showed the ability we have to operate in the joint environment."
Speaking yesterday, Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee added that there was “no doubt” the drugs had been destined for Irish and European markets. Alongside that, the swoop would be a “blow” to the “organised-crime gangs” who were involved in smuggling drugs across the globe.
Military personnel onboard the cargo vessel (PA)Justin Kelly, from the Organised and Serious Crime Unit, added that the drug smuggling had been operated by groups “working all across the world” The Mail reported. The ship had refused to stop when ordered to do so by the Defence Forces, leading to the elite troopers boarding around Tuesday lunchtime. The technique used to board is called ‘fast-roping’ and involves sliding down a rope attached to the helicopter to allow for a quick entrance in often difficult conditions.
It emerged on Sunday night that the trawler was being monitored on suspicion of carrying drugs. It ran aground off the Wexford coast, becoming stuck. The MV Matthew is thought to be the “mothership” of a drug smuggling ring. It would stop off the coast, and distribute its illegal load to smaller boats who would then distribute it to other European countries.
The ship was escorted into Cork harbour last night following the daring operation. Among the arrested, The Irish Mirror reported that the captain was one of them, after he refused to comply with the order to stop.
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