Sitting on millions as they crossed the Atlantic

THE VOYAGE

They had literally been sitting on millions of euro worth of cocaine while they spent weeks crossing the Atlantic, but despite the cramped conditions in the cabins of the 62ft yacht Makayabella, its three-man crew were in reasonably good health when they got an unexpected visit from the Naval Service.

The British Virgin Islands-registered yacht had been shadowed by two navy ships, LÉ Niamh and LÉ Roisín, before the order was given to pounce under cover of darkness at around 2.15am last Tuesday.