‘Tsunami’ of cocaine flooding Europe

In excess of €500m worth of drugs have been seized by European law enforcement agencies since the start of the year, reflecting a substantial increase in trafficking across the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

The tally includes Wednesday’s haul in England of more than one tonne of cocaine, which was intercepted with the assistance of the Irish navy and air corps and the seizure over a fortnight ago of 133kg of cocaine on a ship in Costa Rica that was bound for Cork.