‘Ireland is awash with cocaine — we’re losing the battle,’ warns former Navy commander

Revenue’s new €9m Customs cutter will patrol Ireland’s southern coast, but experts warn the country is still 'losing the battle' against smugglers

Revenue's new Customs cutter ‘Cosaint’ will monitor and patrol Ireland’s 3,173km of coastline. Picture: Revenue

A new url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41725752.html]€9m Customs ship[/url], which will begin anti-smuggling patrols from the Cork coast in the coming weeks, has been welcomed by a former naval officer and expert on countering maritime drug trafficking.

Eugene Ryan, former navy commander and founding member of the international drug trafficking surveillance centre MAOC (N), said that Revenue and Customs officials have extensive maritime powers and are vital in the ongoing fight against major international drug trafficking into and through Ireland.

Revenue's Customs Service, gardaí, and the naval service, assisted by the air corps and the army as required, work together on the State’s joint task force on drug interdiction. 

This joint task force has been involved in major operations including the dramatic interdiction of the MV Matthew, when armed army ranger wing officers abseiled from helicopters in stormy seas to stop the vessel, which was trying to escape Irish authorities. 

More than 2.25 tonnes of cocaine, valued at approximately €157m, was found on the 189m bulk cargo vessel. 

It was the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the State.

And drug traffickers are constantly devising new ways to evade authorities. 

Semi-submersibles are now operating like drones of the sea, carrying large quantities of dugs with no humans aboard the submarine-type vessels.

“They’ve been doing it for nearly 20 years, but they're more sophisticated now because they've been sending them unmanned, semi-submersed," Mr Ryan said.

“They have an antenna out of the water so that the vessel can go across the Atlantic using satellite navigation. 

Military personnel onboard MV Matthew.

"So you can pre-program the semi-submersible, the computer, send her to sea with a number of waypoints, positions, across the Atlantic.” 

Unmanned satellite-enabled semi-submersibles can be up to 18-20m in length and can carry up to 20 tonnes of drugs, Mr Ryan said.

Customs officials are vital in the fight against drugs as they have significant maritime powers, being able to operate some 50m out to sea — into the contiguous zone beyond Irish territorial waters.

Whereas gardaí, as a land force, can only operate within Irish territorial waters which only runs 12 miles out to sea.

Mr Ryan “would like to see more” customs ships at sea, which can complement the navy's fleet.

The Irish navy is doing a commendable job with the resources it has, Mr Ryan said. 

It now has eight excellent naval ships, but crewing them is an ongoing problem, he said.

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Although recruitment has increased, it takes years to train new naval officers.

And despite Ireland’s efforts, it is not stemming the flow of drugs into Europe, Mr Ryan said.

"Because the Mexicans, the Venezuelans, the Colombians, all they're doing is producing more cocaine. 

They're sending more our way, knowing that some of it will be intercepted, and they're taking the hit for that. 

"Ireland is awash with drugs, the UK is awash with drugs, particularly cocaine. We're not winning the battle, we're losing the battle."

To turn the tide, a minimum of three, and ideally four, naval ships should be patrolling the coast at all times, and acting with intelligence from MAOC-N to dismantle international drug trafficking routes, he said.

“If we have that, we have a much better chance of stemming the flow," he said.

“We have the intel now, but we don’t have the ships in position.” 

Bulk carrier MV Matthew arriving at Marino Point, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

Four naval ships had patrolled the coasts up to approximately 2018, he said.

But following the financial crash, many naval officers left, moving to better-paid jobs in pharmaceuticals and engineering where they did not have to be away from home for weeks on end, Mr Ryan said.

But Revenue has launched its new Customs cutter ‘Cosaint’ in Kinsale this week to monitor and patrol Ireland’s 3,173km of coastline.

The ship cost some €9m, funded by the Exchequer and a grant from the European Anti-Fraud Office from the EU Anti-Fraud Programme.

It is 35m long and has a gross tonnage of 204 tonnes. It has a range of more than 750 nautical miles and a top speed of 18 knots.

Cosaint will replace RCC Suirbhéir’ which has been in service since 2004 and will be retired from active duty.

Revenue's Niall Cody, said: “Our enforcement teams have achieved exceptional results in recent years. 

"Since January 2023, they have made more than 35,000 seizures of illegal drugs, amounting to 110 tonnes, and with an estimated value of over €650m.

"The procurement of this new Customs cutter is a clear demonstration of Revenue, and the Irish State’s, ongoing commitment to targeting illicit trade, smuggling and organised crime in the maritime domain.”