A huge bust of drugs reveals battles on cocaine “Supervisory”

The text message came from Dubai from Santa -Emodi. “Okay, guys. No success. It really can’t be simple. Just relax and it’s all over.”

He was sent to a fisherman from Ukraine and an unemployed man from the Tessida, who sailed to the middle of the Irish Sea to collect cocaine from the passing freight ship, M. Matthew.

As it turned out, they needed a lot of success, and very little was easy.

Both men were in a brazen attempt to move more than 2.2 tons of cocaine in the UK and Europe. This ended in failure, with a successful blow to the powerful drug fools of the Irish authorities.

Eight men were sentenced and imprisoned for a total of 129 years. All cocaine was destroyed.

But despite this result, law enforcement agencies across Europe acknowledge that they are struggling to stop the growing amount of cocaine that crosses the Atlantic from South America.

At the Maritime Analysis Center (MAOC), which deems transatlantic drug trafficking, he says that last year, 100 ships suspected of drug trafficking in Europe were not stopped because the authorities were not enough to intercept them.

“We have the intelligence of the vessel that crosses the Atlantic … that it is loaded at the time and we still have no interception assets,” says its SJOERD Top director.

Up to 600 vessels are controlled by MAOC every day, while a record amount of cocaine is made in South America, he adds.

Last year, UK users consumed 117 tons of cocaine, the UK reports. The number of cocaine deaths has increased ten times since 2011.

The drug usually goes into large container ships to European ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp. But security there has intensified, so smugglers are looking for alternative routes.

Many now use the methods of cutting AT-SEA, unloading cocaine from the vessel “Mother”, which is selected by a smaller “daughter” and taken to the shore.

“We have intercepted cocaine tons in the last six months, a few, two tons of attacks through this method into the sea,” Charlie East, UK tells us.

But the cartels are relentless and more and more targeting Ireland – the only European country with an open border with the UK – as the back door.

Ireland has almost 2,000 miles of shoreline, most of it is ideal for smuggling, with many hundreds of isolated inputs.

And this shoreline is vulnerable. The country’s defense forces help fight the cartel. Ireland has the lowest protection costs in the EU, only 0.2 % of GDP. The Irish Military -Marine Service has eight ships, but it can usually put only two into the sea because of the lack of sailors.

“We have 132,000 square miles under the jurisdiction.

The same with air support. Irish defense forces must provide helicopters to help protect the shoreline. But the panorama was told that sometimes they have no accessible one who can do this job.

“The narcotic road goes directly through the Atlantic, and one of the first countries to which it reaches is Ireland. Our territorial water supply is really for everyone, it’s like a wild west there,” says Catal Berry, the former army.

The Ireland government states that it supports “constant presence and vigilance” in its maritime sphere. It states that the defense financing will increase by € 600 million (£ 520 million) – by 55% for four years – and “significant initiatives … also led to the stabilization of the Military Service.”

While the record seizure of cocaine at MV Matthew has succeeded for the Irish state, he also showed potential weaknesses in defense of the country.

A group of cartels, considered by law enforcement agencies, headed by the notorious Kinakhan criminal group, bought a freight ship about £ 10 million in August 2023.

In mid -September, three men were sent to buy a traler called Castlemore in the fishing port of Kasltownber, southwest of Ireland.

These were Ukrainian Vitaly Lapa, Jamie Harbron of Stockton-on-Teru and Scottish man who came from Dubai, which the police called the person interested.

Police watched the Scottish oversee the payment of 300,000 euros (£ 260,000) from a construction company in Dubai. Panorama identified it as the Glazvezh Stefan Boyda – though it is unknown whether he played a broader role.

Boyd flew back to the first class oak, where they are believed to remain. Panorama could not contact him for comment.

On Friday, September 22, Paws and Hubron were convicted – Castlemore was taken to the sea, not knowing that the police had installed a tracker to the vessel.

The police later received reports that showed that the crew received instructions from Dubai.

The Irish authorities monitored M. M. Matthew and Kaslmora for the next two days when the two courts tried but could not mate in the Irish Sea during the storm. The Tralers had problems with the engine and lost the power with breaks.

Having worse, the Iranian skipper from M. M. Matthew, Sakheil Jelve, wanted to head to the north, but his bosses Dubai warned him to avoid the UK’s water. “The Irish coast only has UKH, the British coastal conditions also have boats,” they said.

At the time, the Irish fleet had only one ship in the sea, wb yeats. In fact, this was already monitoring the smugglers and waited for the order to intervene.

On Sunday’s night, Castlemore got on the sand in the storm, and traler traders had to call the Irish coast to save them. Their helicopter was safe.

On MV Matthew, panic was treated. In less than 24 hours, the skin falsely claimed that he was injured and requires urgent treatment. It was also transferred to the safety of the Coast Guard, which did not know about the Navy operation.

The hospital found that he had more than $ 50,000 (37 982 pounds) in his bag. He was arrested after jumped out of bed and tried to make a dash out of the hospital door.

Meanwhile, the Philippine man, Harold Estayest, took over the position of the skipper and tried to avoid the fleet.

Voice messages and texts tell about the next few hours.

The boss in Dubai, who calls himself Captain Noah, ordered the crew to keep his nerves.

“My stress level is almost up to a heart attack. Try to be calm, be calm. Full speed go,” he said in the voice message.

But M. M. Matthew was redirected to the cork – after all, shooting at warning. For the first time since the 1980s.

One of the recorded exchanges gives a sense of drama, and the new skipper says the fleet: “We are afraid. We will go out because you shoot at us. Please don’t shoot at us. My crew is now panic, crying.”

The commander of the Military Fleet replies: “You should not be afraid. Everything I ask is that you go to the cork.”

The Irish authorities decided to sit down in M. M. Matthew using the wing of the Irish army, but were not available helicopters.

Five were in a hanger, waiting for spare parts and service. The only important helicopter was used as an air ambulance.

“They had to deprive all medical equipment and recycle it for the military task,” says Catal Berry, a former deputy commander of the “Rangear Wing”. Two machine guns were quickly installed.

Bosses in Dubai still did not think that the Irish military could stop them.

Captain Noah told them in the audio: “Guys, please listen to me.

The latest messages sent by Captain Noah from M. M. Matthew were photos of a helicopter that hovers over the ship. Seconds later, the rangers fell on the deck and captured the crew.

Against the chances and, despite the lack of ships and helicopters, a drug bust became a victory for the Irish state.

Since then, four more attempts to send a large amount of cocaine to the UK have been identified by the Irish police. But traders are tireless and have huge resources.

“If I was a drug, I would rub my hands,” says Eugene Ryan, a former Navy commander in the Irish Fleet.

“If they send 20 tons of cocaine to a number of vessels, and some come across, they will still get 12-15 tons.”

Drug trade is an increasing problem in Europe – and those who fight, say that every country has to do more to stop it.