Our waters are like the Wild West
THE waters around Ireland have been surrendered to international drugs cartels – because we don’t have the ability to patrol them, a leading TD warned.
Deputy Cathal Berry, a former second in command of the elite Army Ranger Wing, said: “We’ve handed the keys of the country over to the cartels.
“There is massive lawlessness taking place currently in our territorial waters. It is a free for all – it is the wild west, there is no policing.”
Deputy Berry said the fact that the Naval Service can now put only one ship out to sea at a time means Ireland is easy prey to international cartels.
He said they want to use the country as a landing point for huge drugs shipments – most of which are destined for Europe.
Gardaí have intercepted several major shipments of drugs in the last year – including the MV Matthew seized by Berry’s former ARW comrades off the south coast in September.
Around €157 million of cocaine was found on board, which investigators believe was destined for Europe.
Although the Naval Service has eight ships, personnel shortages mean only one vessel can go to sea at a time – although there are hopes that will increase soon.
But there are fears our inability to patrol our waters means the cartels will target Ireland as a staging post even more.
In an exclusive interview, Kildare South Deputy Berry said our weak defence is a prime reason why cartels are targeting our territory.
He added: “That’s why they’re using it.”And he said it is unacceptable to have only one Naval Service vessel out at a time. H e revealed: “It would be like having one police car for patrolling all of the island of Ireland. “It’s completely unrealistic and they’re taking full advantage of it.
“We’ve handed the keys of the country over to the cartels.”
He continued: “Every town and village in Ireland is awash with drugs. “Whenever there are drugs there are weapons, whenever there are weapons there are murders.
“The public are starting to join the
dots and see what’s happening off our coast is a direct correlation with what’s happening in every town and village in the country.
“And national security is intrinsically linked to law and order. It’s not just drugs. It’s all kinds of contraband. It’s vulnerable people. It’s fugitives, it’s arms. It’s whatever you want.
Link
“You can do whatever you want. (Our defence) is regarded as just being completely the weakest link and any kind of criminality are taking full advantage of it.”
Berry feared that Ireland would be able to defend itself for just a few hours if we were invaded – because of the weakness of our Defence Forces.
He revealed: “It depends on how an attack happens - hours if you attacked it smartly. We’re talking about small numbers of troops as well, by the way.
“You could do it with a couple of thousand troops in hours.”
He said there are cartels in South America that are more capable than the Irish Defence Forces, adding that this is not the fault of the forces.
Berry explained: “They are better resourced. They have better equipment and they could do a lot of damage to the country if they wanted to.*
“And I’m not saying in any shape or form that that’s going to happen. But blow for blow, there’s cartels in South America drug cartels better equipped than our own troops.”
Weak
Berry said Ireland is unprepared to handle any security or defence crisis because of the weak state of the military, which now stands at just 7,500 personnel - down 3,000 since 2006.
He warned: “We’re at the lowest ebb that we’ve been in 50 years. The military hasn’t been this small since 1969. That just shows how far behind we are.
“We’re the least prepared in Europe, not only physically but also from an attitude point of view. We don’t think there’s a threat, which is the greatest threat of all.”
He said Ireland’s position between the continent and America makes us strategically important – and in danger.
Berry believed: “We’re uniquely isolated, uniquely vulnerable. We are a tempting target and if somebody wants to do damage to Europe, or to North America, or the bridge across the Atlantic, this is ground zero
right here. “Geographically we are strategically important, and economically we are as well. There is so much American real estate in Ireland.
“You know about (undersea) data cables and but not only that, politically, we are the bridge both physically and metaphorically between the two continents, North America and continental Europe.
“We have a leg in the continental camp. And we not only have a leg in the North American camp, but I would say more accurately, the English speaking peoples.”
He said it is also vital to purchase jets - even if the cost is likely more than €1billion,
Berry added: “It would bankrupt the country not to do it. You can’t have an economy unless you have a sustainable, safe environment that people are happy enough to invest in. Unfortunately, we’re really exposed.”