In the wake of finding cocaine valued at more than €4 million on beaches in Donegal last year, Gardaí are currently examining laptops and telephones confiscated that are thought to hold clues about the illicit operation.
Several searches were undertaken in Dundalk, Co Louth, this past Thursday, which resulted in these confiscations. These operations were conducted in collaboration with Dundalk Gardaí by the investigative team from Milford, Co Donegal, after they uncovered a connection between a questionable boat registered in Northern Ireland and alleged smugglers residing in Co Louth.
Back in July 2023, the drug parcels, weighing in at 60kg, were discovered at Ballyhiernan Beach in Fanad and Tramore in Dunfanaghy. It is speculated by the Gardaí that the drugs were abandoned overboard from a larger ship and were intended to be recouped at sea by a drug cartel.
The drugs probably ended up on shore due to adverse weather conditions preventing the criminals from retrieving them. A comprehensive search including the Garda Air and Water Units and Revenue was set up to detect any other possible landings.
Not long after, authorities confiscated a boat at Magheraroarty in Donegal and cordoned off the pier from public use. This boat, anchored at the Magheraroarty Pier, was registered in Northern Ireland. According to the sources, the previous owner, who was unaware of its intended use, had recently sold the boat.
The investigations into these sales subsequently led to the searches on Thursday in Dundalk. Although no culprits were apprehended, Gardaí are optimistic that the seized electronics will shed light on the smuggling operation. Multiple documents of interest were also seized.
Following the seizure of the cocaine stash on both beaches, the gardaí in Milford called upon the local landowners in the Fanad Head area and those frequenting the northern Donegal shoreline to report any unusual activities.
In an effort to ascertain if drugs found along the southern coast originated from the same batch, investigators collaborated with officers from Cork. Cork detectives managed to seize 2kg of cocaine, worth around €180,000 in street prices, following its discovery by local civilians. The drugs were found in two different instances: one located on an easterly Cork beach in the beginning part of June, and a subsequent find on a beach closer to Cork City about a week after the initial find.