Two men are due to appear before Bandon District Court this morning following a major Joint Task Force drugs interdiction operation that netted cocaine worth over €31 million off the Cork coast earlier this week.

The dramatic operation unfolded on Tuesday 1st July when Gardaí from the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stopped a van in the Courtmacsherry area, seizing cocaine valued in excess of €31 million, subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland.

In a coordinated sea and air operation, the Irish Naval ship L.É. William Butler Yeats intercepted a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) that had departed from Broadstrand, Courtmacsherry. The operation was supported by a Maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, which provided overhead surveillance as two Naval Service RIBs with armed Maritime interdiction Team members were launched from the L.É. William Butler Yeats.

The suspect RIB was detained by Revenue Customs Service off the Cork coast, and both occupants were taken aboard the naval vessel before being returned to Haulbowline Naval Base.

Four men in total were arrested during the operation, all aged in their 30s and 40s. The two males arrested at Haulbowline Naval Base have now been charged and are due to appear before Bandon District Court this morning, Thursday 3rd July 2025.

As part of the ongoing investigation, a commercial container ship was also searched by Revenue Customs Service and An Garda Síochána, with interviews conducted with crew members. The vessel has since been cleared to continue with its legitimate business operations.

An Garda Síochána spokesperson:

“An Garda Síochána has no further comment at this time.”

The seizure represents one of the largest cocaine hauls intercepted off the Irish coast in recent years, highlighting the continued efforts of Joint Task Force operations to combat international drug trafficking through Irish waters.