Irish military, police and customs officers have seized a vast cargo of cocaine destined for Europe in a major operation in the Celtic Sea involving the Military, Police and Customs. The drugs on a Panamanian flagged vessel (MV Matthew) were due to be transhipped to an Irish trawler but things went wrong immediately when the trawler ran aground on a shoal off Wexford. The freighter then attempted to leave the area and head for International waters it was fired on by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats
Special forces from the Irish Army Ranger Wing (ARW) then abseiled on to the Panamanian vessel from helicopters and took control of it off the Co Cork coast.
In addition to the LÉ William Butler Yeats the Irish Defence Forces deployed two Agusta A109 helicopters and two fixed wing reconnaissance aircraft.
The Panamanian vessel was escorted into Cork
Link:
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/0927/1407537-cork-wexford-ship-operation/
Image: LÉ William Butler Yeats – Inset: ARW men board the MV Matthew.
Bernard Moffatt
Celtic League (27th September 2023)
