Security blitz planned as cocaine ship sails in
Alert after €10m ‘Kinahan’ drugs found in fruit cargo
A MASSIVE security exercise will swing into action today as a cargo ship found to be carrying cocaine arrives in Cork.
The Polar Chile is at the centre of an international anti-drug trafficking operation.
While docked in Costa Rica last week, police searched the vessel and found 133kg of the drug hidden in its cargo.
A Garda spokeswoman confirmed the cocaine seized had “a potential value of €10million”.
A source said yesterday: “There is a lot of work carried out by the Naval Service and Customs. They will monitor the arrival of the vessel and then Customs and gardai will board the ship.
“Investigations are advancing well into the people behind the operation and it is believed they are linked to the Kinahan organised crime group.”
Sources claim the cargo containing the drugs – believed to be a shipment of fruit – was registered to a fake Irish firm.
The vessel, colloquially known as the Banana Boat, is a regular caller to Cork. It is expected to berth at the deepwater container ship facility at Ringaskiddy at noon.
A source added: “There were stories the Kinahan OCG had been running its own cargo ship in their billion euro business.
“This shows their wholesale drugs operations are also using more Port of Cork traditional methods of shipping produce. The drugs were concealed inside the container with the fruit shipment, thought to be either bananas or pineapples.”
Cork Port has witnessed some spectacular drug trafficking attempts in the past.
A famous incident took place in December 1992 when well-known local dealer Kieran O’flynn was arrested following a high-speed boat chase. He was convicted of trying to bring 50kg of cannabis resin ashore at Hop Island. O’flynn was later shot dead at his Dublin Hill home in June 2001.