Crates of cocaine, loaded under cover of night from an armed boat by some crew members while others aboard the MV Matthew were plied with alcohol “as a distraction” began a descent into chaos which would ultimately lead to their arrest. “Terrified” and “alone at sea”, the crew said they were then compelled to comply … Read more
“No need for luck […] just relax and this will all be over soon,” was a message sent from a suspected crime boss to the men now charged with the State’s largest cocaine seizure before the ship in which they were sailing was stormed. The MV Matthew, owned by a Dubai-based company, was raided at … Read more
Messages sent to the MV Matthew as the ship tried to escape Irish waters while carrying €157m in cocaine told a group on board to set a course for Africa at full speed and to burn the drugs if a helicopter attempted to intercept the vessel, a trial has heard. Counsel for the Director of … Read more
Two men who have gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court after the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history played an “essential part” in a “very sophisticated, complex and highly professional international drug-trafficking operation,” the State alleges. The court heard on Tuesday how the cargo ship carrying the 2.2 tonnes of cocaine attempted to … Read more
Extra chairs were needed to accommodate the volume of defendants and their various interpreters in connection with the biggest cocaine seizure in the history of the State, in a packed Special Criminal Court on Tuesday. Seven men were due to stand trial this week in connection with the 2.25 tonnes of cocaine seized from a … Read more