Dublin father and son among five arrested over alleged cocaine smuggling conspiracy

The international criminal conspiracy was rumbled in March of last year and 840 kilos of cocaine worth over €58 million that was found washed up on beaches in Denmark was the drug haul that was destined for Ireland.

No drugs were landed in west Cork with Gardaí unclear if the mission was aborted due to gang fears over police surveillance or poor sea conditions in the area.

Several of the men are believed to have panicked when they suspected they were being watched.

Another man in custody, aged in his late 50’s from the Tallaght area, was also arrested in the joint operation between gardai from west Cork and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).

All five suspects are being questioned at different garda stations in Cork and Dublin under organised crime legislation after their arrests on Tuesday.

The Tallaght suspect has been on the radar of gardai for decades for his alleged role in international drugs trafficking into Ireland.

Last March properties in Dublin linked to the father and son were raided as part of the same investigation and devices and other evidence was seized.

They were not arrested on that occasion.

The older man is a convicted killer who has multiple previous convictions and has been on the garda radar for over four decades for involvement in violent and organised crime.

Two very close associates of these men were arrested last October in a separate organised crime investigation into the gang after gardai seized 3 million worth of drugs in Dublin and Wicklow as well over half a million euro in cash and several luxury vehicles.

Detectives believe that the crime group is led by the father and son, aged in their 60s and 30s, who are based in south Dublin are run one of the country’s largest drug networks.

The five suspects who were arrested this week can be held for questioning for up to a week.

Ten men are due to go on trial at the Special Criminal Court in relation to the massive alleged drugs conspiracy.

“What gardai have been investigating for the past year is who organised this shipment and the belief is that some of these arrested individuals got together and tries to bring in the shipment,” a senior source said.

“The arrests are a follow-up to the searches that happened last year, there has been huge work carried out in this investigation,” the source added.

A previous court hearing heard that a powerful three-engine inflatable 40-foot boat was extensively modified with “stealth capabilities” to ferry a crew from west Cork to meet a “mothership” at sea and return laden with drugs.

Gardai arrested 10 men on March 14 in Tragumna near Skibbereen and Leap village in west Cork and charged them with conspiring to import drugs into Ireland.

The High Court heard evidence last April that gardai believed it was part of a “sophisticated” operation by an international criminal group.

A garda inspector told the court that “a concerned citizen” had alerted gardai about vehicles at Tragumna Pier in the dark and early hours of March 12.

There was a Land Rover, a camper van and an articulated truck with its trailer down and facing the pier, and several people were visible.

Gardai conducted surveillance and were informed of the launch of a 40-foot rigid inflatable boat (RIB) equipped with three high-powered Yamaha engines.

Almost 48 hours later, the three vehicles returned to the pier and the RIB returned without any drugs.

The garda witness claimed the 10 defendants loaded the returned RIB using a winch to load it back onto a modified trailer and into the truck.

The truck got stuck due to the slant on the pier and was towed by the Land Rover and the camper van.

It was alleged that the camper van departed with six men but gardai intercepted it in Leap., Co Cork.

The other four, including the driver of the truck, were arrested at the pier in Tragumna.

Gardai recovered walkie-talkies, personal phones, and satellite “burner” phones and that €3,000 and GBP8,000 were spent on maritime clothing.

The entire cost of materials, including the boat, travel, and accommodation, was estimated to be €700,000.

It was alleged gardai recovered notes with timings and distance from accommodation to piers in west Cork.

The inspector said people at a higher level in an international crime group organised what was termed in court as a “sophisticated operation”.

The 10 are accused that, on dates between February 27 and March 14, they conspired with each other to import controlled drugs in excess of €13,000, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act.