Gardaí seal off new section of west Cork harbour for drugs ship

Gardaí have sealed off a new section of the harbour in Castletownbere in west Cork for the vessel on which a record cocaine haul was seized late on Wednesday.

Teams of armed officers were put on duty to patrol the quayside.

Navy ship the LE Niamh – which was involved in the swoop at 10pm on Wednesday night and brought the suspects to shore yesterday – could be seen moored off Bere Island.

The ocean-going cruiser at the centre of the international drugs bust was anchored near an isolated part of the pier at 9.30am as customs prepared to begin the lengthy job of stripping down the interior.

It is understood the vessel had been registered to a UK port in the past.

Local fisherman Brendan Harrington said he was working on his boat, the Sarah David, yesterday when he heard rumours of the drugs bust on his radio.

“I wasn’t shocked when I heard because there are probably a lot more coming in undetected,” said Mr Harrington.

“There are so many little inlets and such a large area of coastline, they could never patrol the whole thing.”

The trawlerman said weather conditions would have been rough at sea overnight.

“There’s a big swell out there. I wouldn’t have fancied being out in that weather,” he said.