DUBLIN: Ireland customs seized €350m cocaine in yacht.The revelation means the seizure on the Makayabella last September, now ranks as one of the biggest drug seizures in Irish history.
Garda sources admitted they were “very surprised” to discover that the 41 bales of cocaine recovered were found to have one of the highest purity levels ever recorded.
The shipment was initially thought to have a street value of €80m but this has now been revised upwards to around €350m.
Tests are ongoing but the cocaine is believed to have originated from Colombia, possibly from the Medellin area.
The 28-year old Makayabella was intercepted by the Naval Service on September 23 off the south-west coast.It was boarded 250km off Mizen Head by an armed LE Niamh team and 41 bales of cocaine were recovered.
The 19-meter yacht was escorted into Haulbowline Naval Base with the operation being hailed as a victory for multi-jurisdictional inter-agency co-operation.
