Cocaine 'pouring' into Ireland to supply the Christmas market, gardaí say

Gardaí and customs seized 58kg of the drug during searches in Kildare and Wexford this week

October saw the largest amount of cocaine seized in a month, with almost 580kgs confiscated.

Cocaine is continuing to “pour” into the country to feed the Christmas party market, after gardaí and customs made another major haul — some 58kgs — of the drug.

The Irish Examiner estimates the interception in Kildare and Wexford brings to about 1.8 tonnes the amount of cocaine seized to date in 2025.

That is more than double the amount confiscated in 2024. A record 3.45 tonnes of cocaine was seized in 2023 — dominated by the 2.25 tonnes on board the MV Matthew off the Cork coast in September 2023.

The 58kgs were seized in searches of a business premises in Co Kildare, and a residential property in Co Wexford. in an ongoing operation by the Garda Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and Revenue Customs.

Two men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation.

It is understood one of those arrested is a former activist in Sinn Féin.

The gang suspected of organising the shipment is based in the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin area, west Dublin, which has links to organised crime in Spain, and boasts past associations with the Kinahan cartel.

Security sources said law enforcement has had a good year in terms of successful interventions — including seizures, disruption of supply routes and charges — but admit cocaine continues to “pour into the country”.

One source said: “Years ago, 58kgs would have nearly been unheard of — it’s now a regular occurrence and that’s down to demand, and this supply was for the Christmas market.” 

October saw the largest amount of cocaine seized in a month, with almost 580kgs confiscated. The single biggest haul was at Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, last July, when 440kgs was confiscated by the Joint Task Force, comprising gardaí, Revenue and Defence Forces.

The next largest haul was in October, when 202.5kgs was seized by Revenue following routine profiling in Rosslare Port.