Key Metrics
14.48
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
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Scope LevelNational
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Last Update2025-09-14
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (4)
Event Overview
This event highlights the ongoing challenge of international drug trafficking, with sophisticated methods employed by South American cartels. The operation's disruption underscores the role of Irish authorities in combating a 'superhighway' of narcotics. The case exemplifies the complex networks and communication tactics used by traffickers.
Collect Records
Irish Authorities Thwart Major Cocaine Smuggling Operation
An attempt to smuggle over 2.2 tons of cocaine to the UK and Europe was thwarted by Irish authorities. This operation involved a message from Dubai, featuring a Santa Claus emoji, instructing a Ukrainian fisherman and an unemployed man from Teesside to navigate to the center of the Irish Sea to retrieve the drugs. The incident is part of a 'superhighway' used by South American cartels to transport drugs via Ireland. Eight men were convicted and received a total of 129 years in prison. The seized cocaine was destroyed. The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) monitors up to 600 suspicious ships daily but faces challenges due to resource shortages. The UK consumed 117 tons of cocaine in 2024, with related deaths increasing tenfold since 2011. Cartels are using new tactics, such as transferring drugs at sea to smaller vessels, to evade enhanced port controls.