The Kinahan cartel has been dealt a significant blow after a €10m cocaine shipment being imported by the international crime gang was seized in Costa Rica.
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| ‘Cooperation is essential’: Asst Commissioner John O’Driscoll. |
The 133kg haul was discovered aboard a cargo ship named Polar Chile in Port Moin, Limon, last Tuesday. It was due to dock in Cork later this week.
The massive seizure was made after Costa Rican drug officials received an anonymous phone tip-off and carried out a search of the vessel.
Cocaine worth about €10m was later discovered in pineapples on board the cargo ship.
No arrests had been made yesterday and investigations are ongoing.
Detectives from the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) are liaising with a number of international police agencies as part of the investigation into the haul.
A source last night told the Irish Independent that a main line of inquiry is whether the drugs were being imported by the Kinahan cartel to the south-east coast.
"Cocaine and cannabis importation into Ireland mainly have cartel involvement in some way. Whether the drugs were destined for the Irish market, the UK or Europe has not been established at this point and investigations are ongoing," the source said.
Detectives are also attempting to determine if the drug haul was being controlled by a UK associate of the cartel, and if the cocaine was to be transported to England after arriving in Cork or would have been distributed in Ireland.
Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll yesterday confirmed that gardaí are investigating the role Irish criminals played in the transatlantic operation.
The senior garda, who is in charge of special crime operations, also stated that international co-operation involving law-enforcement organisations on a global basis is essential in targeting criminal activity engaged in by organised crime groups that have an international dimension.
In a separate operation against a UK gang, a number of Irish citizens were arrested after drugs worth €18m were seized in Marbella.
Irish nationals were among 11 people arrested after the huge cannabis seizure on Spain's Costa Del Sol.
In another local operation targeting the Kinahan cartel's street-level dealers in the capital, gardaí seized cash and drugs worth almost €100,000 over the weekend.
On Saturday, members of the Crumlin drug unit searched a house in the Drimnagh area and arrested a 25-year-old man.
During the search, cocaine worth about €64,000 and around €14,000 worth of cannabis were recovered.
A further €7,500 in cash was seized on suspicion of being the proceeds of crime.
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