
Inside Brit party holiday hotspot where drug-fuelled teens urinate on each other & terrorise island on high-speed quads
A few doors down, cannabis-laced vodka cocktails are openly on sale while laughing gas balloons are being flogged in the smoky backroom of a bar for 20 euros a box.
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Meanwhile, a quad bike overloaded with screaming tourists taking selfies roars down the street at high speed — with none of the young passengers wearing helmets.
And British DJ Kai Roberts, 24, was left in a coma on Sunday following a quad bike crash on the Greek island.
Thankfully his condition has since improved, although his mother says it's 'going to be a long recovery'.
Incredibly, these are all incidents that took place on the Laganas strip on Zante AFTER a massive police crackdown was enacted.
We can reveal that 50 cops from the capital Athens were parachuted in to claw back control.
Bouncer Collins Michaels says corrupt bar owners and out-of-control Brits have been responsible for dozens of casualties at the notorious Laganas party resort before the Greek government took action.
Pulling back his shirt to reveal a stab wound on his right arm, Collins, 54, told The Sun: 'The young kids never stop being naughty because this is often their first time on holiday without their parents.
'I often see teenagers climb on to the balcony of the VIP section at my club then pee on the people below.
'I was stabbed in my arm by a tourist as I was trying to control a group of kids in 2016. The wound was really deep and I spent two weeks in hospital. The strip was rampant — completely out of control — before the crackdown last year and there was so much fighting.
'Something needed to be done or more lives were going to be lost.'
Brit DJ, 24, in coma after horror quad bike accident on party island Zante where he had landed 'amazing' club residency
'Last year went crazy'
Kai, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is the latest visitor to end up in dire straits having moved to Zante to work as a DJ this summer.
He was a passenger on a quad bike that slammed into a wall on a coastal road on the island at around 5pm local time.
Kai — who was due to fly home two days after the crash — is still in hospital, having been treated for a bleed on the brain, according to his brother Corey Roberts, 18.
The DJ allegedly had to wait an hour for an ambulance before he was taken to the general hospital on Zante.
After a CT scan revealed the bleed, he was flown to the Greek mainland where he was put in a medically induced coma at Ioannina University Hospital. The quad bike driver escaped with minor injuries.
Corey said: 'My brother is my idol. He's well known, and everywhere he goes everyone loves him.'
I last visited Laganas in 2018 after a group of 17 British teens were taken to hospital having drunk bootleg booze containing the deadly chemical methanol.
Two years earlier, Hannah Powell, 21, was left fighting for her life and with just ten per cent eye function after drinking a cocktail laced with the same substance, which bar owners had been adding to their home brew to cut costs.
Hannah, from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, also needed a kidney transplant and said: 'I was blind — I didn't realise at the time. I thought we had the curtains shut.'
But my research has found that the constant chaos and carnage that became the hallmark of Laganas got even worse after Hannah was blinded.
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Sigouros Raftopoulos runs three of the six private medical clinics on Laganas Road that provide first aid and ambulance services.
He says there was a worrying number of quad bike, scooter and car accidents before police from the capital were flown in.
He said: 'Last year went crazy. There were so many cases that involved air ambulances and transfers to Athens.
'We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients.
'You can see the strip is less crazy now. The quality of the booze has been upgraded and there are a lot more police, a lot more checks and a lot more controls.'
In 2011, Robert Sebbage, 18, from Tadley, Hants, was stabbed to death outside a fast-food restaurant in Laganas after one of his group pointed a laser pen at a taxi driver's eye. Four other British teenagers from Basingstoke were wounded in the 3am attack.
Another low point came when US university graduate Bakari Henderson, 22, died of severe head injuries after he was battered by bouncers working at Bar Code in July 2017.
The fight was captured on video and reportedly kicked off after he tried to take a selfie with a waitress.
It then spilled outside, where eight security guards repeatedly stamped on his head before leaving him unconscious on the ground.
Six Serbian nationals, a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British national of Serbian descent were among those arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter.
In 2022, five of them were convicted of intended fatal bodily harm while another was convicted of fatal bodily harm, and all were handed jail sentences from ten to five years. But even that did not stop the violence.
In July 2023, British tourist James Taylor, 18, was caught on camera being repeatedly beaten by four bouncers at CherryBay nightclub in Laganas.
James, from Middlesbrough, suffered two black eyes, a swollen jaw, injuries to his head, a bust lip and a cut on his knee. He claimed he was set upon after standing on a chair to take a selfie.
We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients.
Sigouros Raftopoulos
The footage went viral on social media and a Serbian national was arrested — yet workers at the club tried to justify the attack by saying James had beaten a teenage girl, even posting photos to 'prove' it.
Then last year, after 12 people aged 17 to 23 were charged with attempted homicide and weapons violations following a knife fight at a bar, the Greek government finally decided to take action.
Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis announced that 40 police officers and ten drug enforcement agents were being dispatched to Zante — also known as Zakynthos.
He said: 'We are committed to ensuring the safety of residents and visitors. The reality in Zakynthos will significantly improve.'
Security worker Collins, who also runs the Happy Traveller speedboat rentals company, says the 'craziness' has calmed down considerably since then.
He said: 'Before, some bouncers were not professional. They thought security work was all about flexing muscles and going to the gym and taking steroids.
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'Then, when the teenagers would start doing crazy things, they would beat them up.
'It's more peaceful now because there is more police control.
'Before, it was only local police and they tended to turn a blind eye to the bad behaviour if it was carried out by other locals. But now, with the Athens police overseeing them, they have no choice but to take action.
'A few bars and clubs have been closed down for breaking the law or playing music too loud after midnight.
'A message has been sent out that bouncers can't hit kids any more and the tourists have been told to report anyone who gets rough with them.
'Lethal death juice'
'I would say it's 80 per cent under control now — but it will never be completely peaceful as we have so many of you crazy Brits here in July and August.'
When the Sun visited Laganas, thousands of teens were marauding down the main strip by 11pm on Saturday, many of them celebrating the end of their A-levels.
Girls in tight-fitting dresses stumbled down the street sucking on vapes or clutching vibrators, while lads in outrageous fancy dress outfits were downing luminous shots inside the bars.
The air was clammy and filled with the constant roar of quad bikes, which can be rented for 50 euros a day.
One we spotted tearing down the strip at high speed was being ridden by three helmetless teenagers — a young lad and two girls — who were posing for a selfie being taken by the driver.
Meanwhile, a Medusa Stoned Eyes cocktail laced with cannabis was on sale for 14 euros at a bar that also specialised in shisha pipes.
In the backroom of another bar, a man was flogging laughing gas for 20 euros a box.
When asked if a balloon could be purchased and taken outside, the bearded salesman said: 'No, they are illegal on the island.'
Marijuana products were openly on sale alongside sex toys at the racier stores that lined the strip alongside those flogging typical tourist tat.
Ralph Goodwin, 18, Will Bloch, 17, Monty Munday, 18 and John Simmons, 18, said they had been offered drugs during their week-long lads' holiday to Zante.
Ralph, from Haslemere in Surrey, had just finished his A-levels and said: 'They don't sell it inside the bars and clubs, but we've had random people approach us in the street and offer to sell us cocaine.
'There's no ketamine here and we're not into drugs anyway.
'We just want to go out and have a good time and we've had a great lads' holiday. The only annoyances have been the bouncers, who are still really aggressive, and the ambulance workers, who will try to fleece you.
'A friend needed an IVF drip after drinking too much the other night and they charged him 450 euros. The booze here is deadly. I call it lethal death juice because a lot of it is home made.
'But in one place we were given three shots of water — literally water — and two cocktails for ten euros.'
Bridget Carty, Livy Wiley and Emily Lappin, all 18 and from Marlborough, Wilts, were also celebrating the end of their A-levels, having paid £500 each for their package holiday.
Livy said: 'We're all terrified of getting our drinks spiked.
'The taxi driver who picked us up at the airport warned us not to drink alcohol in the bars and clubs.
'He said the drink is 'strange' and it is 'easy to drug'.
'We had drinks at our accommodation before we went out yesterday and we covered our glasses with our hands all night, but we still had a good time.'

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The Sun
18 hours ago
- The Sun
Inside Brit party holiday hotspot where drug-fuelled teens urinate on each other & terrorise island on high-speed quads
A TEENAGER off his head on booze climbs on to the balcony of a club's VIP section, drops his trousers and urinates on the revellers dancing below. A few doors down, cannabis-laced vodka cocktails are openly on sale while laughing gas balloons are being flogged in the smoky backroom of a bar for 20 euros a box. 11 11 11 Meanwhile, a quad bike overloaded with screaming tourists taking selfies roars down the street at high speed — with none of the young passengers wearing helmets. And British DJ Kai Roberts, 24, was left in a coma on Sunday following a quad bike crash on the Greek island. Thankfully his condition has since improved, although his mother says it's 'going to be a long recovery'. Incredibly, these are all incidents that took place on the Laganas strip on Zante AFTER a massive police crackdown was enacted. We can reveal that 50 cops from the capital Athens were parachuted in to claw back control. Bouncer Collins Michaels says corrupt bar owners and out-of-control Brits have been responsible for dozens of casualties at the notorious Laganas party resort before the Greek government took action. Pulling back his shirt to reveal a stab wound on his right arm, Collins, 54, told The Sun: 'The young kids never stop being naughty because this is often their first time on holiday without their parents. 'I often see teenagers climb on to the balcony of the VIP section at my club then pee on the people below. 'I was stabbed in my arm by a tourist as I was trying to control a group of kids in 2016. The wound was really deep and I spent two weeks in hospital. The strip was rampant — completely out of control — before the crackdown last year and there was so much fighting. 'Something needed to be done or more lives were going to be lost.' Brit DJ, 24, in coma after horror quad bike accident on party island Zante where he had landed 'amazing' club residency 'Last year went crazy' Kai, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is the latest visitor to end up in dire straits having moved to Zante to work as a DJ this summer. He was a passenger on a quad bike that slammed into a wall on a coastal road on the island at around 5pm local time. Kai — who was due to fly home two days after the crash — is still in hospital, having been treated for a bleed on the brain, according to his brother Corey Roberts, 18. The DJ allegedly had to wait an hour for an ambulance before he was taken to the general hospital on Zante. After a CT scan revealed the bleed, he was flown to the Greek mainland where he was put in a medically induced coma at Ioannina University Hospital. The quad bike driver escaped with minor injuries. Corey said: 'My brother is my idol. He's well known, and everywhere he goes everyone loves him.' I last visited Laganas in 2018 after a group of 17 British teens were taken to hospital having drunk bootleg booze containing the deadly chemical methanol. Two years earlier, Hannah Powell, 21, was left fighting for her life and with just ten per cent eye function after drinking a cocktail laced with the same substance, which bar owners had been adding to their home brew to cut costs. Hannah, from Ormesby, Middlesbrough, also needed a kidney transplant and said: 'I was blind — I didn't realise at the time. I thought we had the curtains shut.' But my research has found that the constant chaos and carnage that became the hallmark of Laganas got even worse after Hannah was blinded. 11 11 Sigouros Raftopoulos runs three of the six private medical clinics on Laganas Road that provide first aid and ambulance services. He says there was a worrying number of quad bike, scooter and car accidents before police from the capital were flown in. He said: 'Last year went crazy. There were so many cases that involved air ambulances and transfers to Athens. 'We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients. 'You can see the strip is less crazy now. The quality of the booze has been upgraded and there are a lot more police, a lot more checks and a lot more controls.' In 2011, Robert Sebbage, 18, from Tadley, Hants, was stabbed to death outside a fast-food restaurant in Laganas after one of his group pointed a laser pen at a taxi driver's eye. Four other British teenagers from Basingstoke were wounded in the 3am attack. Another low point came when US university graduate Bakari Henderson, 22, died of severe head injuries after he was battered by bouncers working at Bar Code in July 2017. The fight was captured on video and reportedly kicked off after he tried to take a selfie with a waitress. It then spilled outside, where eight security guards repeatedly stamped on his head before leaving him unconscious on the ground. Six Serbian nationals, a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British national of Serbian descent were among those arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter. In 2022, five of them were convicted of intended fatal bodily harm while another was convicted of fatal bodily harm, and all were handed jail sentences from ten to five years. But even that did not stop the violence. In July 2023, British tourist James Taylor, 18, was caught on camera being repeatedly beaten by four bouncers at CherryBay nightclub in Laganas. James, from Middlesbrough, suffered two black eyes, a swollen jaw, injuries to his head, a bust lip and a cut on his knee. He claimed he was set upon after standing on a chair to take a selfie. We have lots of road accidents. Compared to this time last year we are 50 to 60 per cent down. We are seeing around 20 patients a day total, but during high season it could be 40 to 50 patients. Sigouros Raftopoulos The footage went viral on social media and a Serbian national was arrested — yet workers at the club tried to justify the attack by saying James had beaten a teenage girl, even posting photos to 'prove' it. Then last year, after 12 people aged 17 to 23 were charged with attempted homicide and weapons violations following a knife fight at a bar, the Greek government finally decided to take action. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis announced that 40 police officers and ten drug enforcement agents were being dispatched to Zante — also known as Zakynthos. He said: 'We are committed to ensuring the safety of residents and visitors. The reality in Zakynthos will significantly improve.' Security worker Collins, who also runs the Happy Traveller speedboat rentals company, says the 'craziness' has calmed down considerably since then. He said: 'Before, some bouncers were not professional. They thought security work was all about flexing muscles and going to the gym and taking steroids. 11 'Then, when the teenagers would start doing crazy things, they would beat them up. 'It's more peaceful now because there is more police control. 'Before, it was only local police and they tended to turn a blind eye to the bad behaviour if it was carried out by other locals. But now, with the Athens police overseeing them, they have no choice but to take action. 'A few bars and clubs have been closed down for breaking the law or playing music too loud after midnight. 'A message has been sent out that bouncers can't hit kids any more and the tourists have been told to report anyone who gets rough with them. 'Lethal death juice' 'I would say it's 80 per cent under control now — but it will never be completely peaceful as we have so many of you crazy Brits here in July and August.' When the Sun visited Laganas, thousands of teens were marauding down the main strip by 11pm on Saturday, many of them celebrating the end of their A-levels. Girls in tight-fitting dresses stumbled down the street sucking on vapes or clutching vibrators, while lads in outrageous fancy dress outfits were downing luminous shots inside the bars. The air was clammy and filled with the constant roar of quad bikes, which can be rented for 50 euros a day. One we spotted tearing down the strip at high speed was being ridden by three helmetless teenagers — a young lad and two girls — who were posing for a selfie being taken by the driver. Meanwhile, a Medusa Stoned Eyes cocktail laced with cannabis was on sale for 14 euros at a bar that also specialised in shisha pipes. In the backroom of another bar, a man was flogging laughing gas for 20 euros a box. When asked if a balloon could be purchased and taken outside, the bearded salesman said: 'No, they are illegal on the island.' Marijuana products were openly on sale alongside sex toys at the racier stores that lined the strip alongside those flogging typical tourist tat. Ralph Goodwin, 18, Will Bloch, 17, Monty Munday, 18 and John Simmons, 18, said they had been offered drugs during their week-long lads' holiday to Zante. Ralph, from Haslemere in Surrey, had just finished his A-levels and said: 'They don't sell it inside the bars and clubs, but we've had random people approach us in the street and offer to sell us cocaine. 'There's no ketamine here and we're not into drugs anyway. 'We just want to go out and have a good time and we've had a great lads' holiday. The only annoyances have been the bouncers, who are still really aggressive, and the ambulance workers, who will try to fleece you. 'A friend needed an IVF drip after drinking too much the other night and they charged him 450 euros. The booze here is deadly. I call it lethal death juice because a lot of it is home made. 'But in one place we were given three shots of water — literally water — and two cocktails for ten euros.' Bridget Carty, Livy Wiley and Emily Lappin, all 18 and from Marlborough, Wilts, were also celebrating the end of their A-levels, having paid £500 each for their package holiday. Livy said: 'We're all terrified of getting our drinks spiked. 'The taxi driver who picked us up at the airport warned us not to drink alcohol in the bars and clubs. 'He said the drink is 'strange' and it is 'easy to drug'. 'We had drinks at our accommodation before we went out yesterday and we covered our glasses with our hands all night, but we still had a good time.'


The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Eight men jailed for involvement in Ireland's largest drugs haul
Eight men have been jailed over Ireland's largest drugs seizure, made in 2023 after Irish soldiers dramatically intercepted a fleeing cargo ship. Six of the ship's crew and two others received sentences varying in length from 13 and a half years to 20 years in prison for their involvement, totalling 129 years in prison. The authorities said the prosecutions prove Ireland is not 'a soft target' for drug smuggling. More than 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth about 157 million euro (£132 million) was found aboard the MV Matthew, after the ship was stormed by Irish troops in September 2023. The drugs were seized after the Irish Army Ranger Wing boarded the vessel from helicopters in a daring operation conducted while the crew attempted to steer the ship to high seas. Eight men admitted their roles in trying to smuggle cocaine as part of a massive drug trafficking operation. Six of the men arrested on board the MV Matthew pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply between September 24 and 26 2023. Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, 49, who the court heard occupied quarters on the ship ordinarily reserved for senior officers, and who had a 'supervisory' role, received a sentence of 20 years. The second officer, Harold Estoesta, 31, a Filipino national, received a sentence of 18 years. The court heard that despite strong character references, Estoesta defied navy and customs instructions in a way 'unmatched by any other officer'. The captain of the vessel, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51 a married father of two, and who was not on board when the ship was intercepted, received 17 and a half years in prison. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Vlasoi, 33, received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence and Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, received 14 years. Saeid Hassani, 40, who was the third officer, received a 15-year sentence. Two other men, who were on the boat the Castlemore, which had been bought in Castletownbere to collect drugs from the main vessel, were also sentenced for attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, received a sentence of 14 and a half years. Jamie Harbron, 31, of South Avenue, Billingham, Co Durham, in the UK, received a sentence of 13 and a half years in prison. Ms Justice Melanie Greally said that among the mitigating factors taken into account for sentencing were the men's families, health conditions, character references from family and schools, and the challenges of serving time in prison away from home, making visits unlikely because of visas and cost. The judge said that while the men 'do not belong to the upper echelons' of the organised crime gang, and did not stand to profit from the sale of the drugs, the 'vast quantity' of drugs and the potential harm of the 'highly addictive' drug were taken into account as aggravating factors. She said that apart from Harbron and Ozgen, each man possessed 'a high level of sea navigation skills', and that the transportation of large quantities of drugs at sea cannot take place without that knowledge. 'Seafarers are not cogs, but valuable components of the engine,' which allow drugs to be smuggled across international waters, she said. She added that the court viewed the defendants, to various degrees, as 'committed to the success of the venture'. The non-jury court heard how the MV Matthew was registered in Panama in August 2023 and was owned by a Dubai-based company. It left Venezuela in September, giving its destination as Gdansk in Poland. The two tonnes of cocaine are believed to have been loaded on board the MV Matthew at sea off the coast of Venezuela on September 5, while the crew were 'deliberately' distracted. Although it was a 190-metre cargo ship for transporting bulk products such as grain, the court heard that the drugs cargo on board was akin to 'a few matchboxes in a car boot'. The MV Matthew and the Castlemore were to meet three times near Ireland in late September as part of the drug-smuggling operation. A group chat was used to co-ordinate the meet-up and to receive instructions from Dubai. But because of issues with the swell, as well as the smaller vessel's struggle with slow speed and WiFi, it missed all three rendezvous and ran aground in Co Wexford. The ship's captain, Jelveh, who had expressed his unhappiness with the weather conditions, had fallen into disagreement with the contacts ashore. He was winched off the ship into a lifeboat and taken to Waterford hospital, and then taken into Garda custody on September 26. As the MV Matthew was travelling up the Irish Sea, it drew the attention of Irish Coast Guard. The ship's crew initially said it had changed course to Belfast, and then attempted to drop anchor as it needed to carry out engine repairs over two days, which the court said was 'evidently a ruse to buy time'. In the early hours of September 26, customs told the MV Matthew to return to Cork harbour. Estoesta, who was in charge of communication, gave the 'appearance of compliance', the court said, but began travelling towards international waters. The naval ship the LE William Butler Yeats, which had been in monitoring mode, switched to a warship and issued warning shots from a rifle and then a machine gun. Estoesta radioed to the Irish naval ship and said 'we are a commercial vessel, we have families' and that they do not like problems. 'I don't like problems either. I want you to comply with our instructions and alter your course,' the commander of the Irish naval vessel said. 'Please advise are you in hot pursuit of us?' Estoesta asked, and he was told they were. The crew were advised by the Dubai group chat that they would find safe harbour in Sierra Leone and to 'be confident' because 'there is a law preventing them from boarding the ship'. They were also told by the group to 'prepare' to burn the drugs and dispose of their phones. The Army Ranger Wing arrived by helicopter and chose the fifth cargo bay to land, which was located at front of the vessel. Attempts were made by the crew to 'frustrate' the landing of the soldiers on the boat from ropes dangling from helicopters, and to 'facilitate the destruction' of items on board. The court said the rope was suspended 'some distance' from the landing area as Rangers descended, and therefore posed a risk to the Rangers, with 'no small amount of courage' needed to execute the manoeuvre. Smoke coming from a lifeboat on the MV Matthew was seen by the Rangers as they descended and because of their 'quick thinking', the fire was extinguished and the drugs were only partially burned. They swiftly gained control of the ship without incident and put it on course for Cork. Detective Superintendent Joe O'Reilly from An Garda Siochana, said the sentences provide a 'clear message' that Ireland is 'not a soft target' for international organised crime networks. 'To those involved in drug trafficking, the message is clear that the full force of the Irish state, supported by our international partners, is against you,' he told reporters outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. 'The reality facing you is security interdictions, special investigations, the Special Criminal Court, lengthy sentences and asset seizure. 'Transnational organised crime gangs cause misery to communities, not only in Ireland but throughout the world. 'Tackling these gangs not only makes Ireland safer but all the other countries that they operate in as well.' Detective Superintendent Joe O'Reilly noted the work of the joint task force, which includes An Garda Siochana, the Revenue Customs Service and the Naval Service, supported by other arms of the Irish Defence Forces including the Army Ranger Wing and Air Corps.


The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Eight men jailed for involvement in Ireland's largest ever drugs haul
Eight men have received prison sentences in relation to Ireland's largest ever drugs seizure, which was made after Irish soldiers dramatically intercepted a cargo ship two years ago. They received sentences varying in length from 13 and a half years to 20 years for their involvement. More than 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth around 157 million euro (£132 million) was found aboard the MV Matthew after the ship was stormed by Irish troops in September 2023. The drugs were seized after the Irish Army Ranger Wing boarded the vessel in a daring operation conducted while the crew attempted to steer the ship to high seas. Eight men admitted their roles in trying to smuggle cocaine as part of a massive drug trafficking operation. Six of the men arrested on board the MV Matthew all pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the MV Matthew between 24 and 26 September 2023. At sentencing on Friday, Dutch national Cumali Ozgen, 49, received a sentence of 20 years, while the second officer, Filipino Harold Estoesta, 31, received a sentence of 18 years. The captain of the vessel, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, received 17 and a half years in prison. Ukrainian nationals Vitaliy Vlasoi, 33, received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence and Mykhailo Gavryk, 32, received 14 years' imprisonment. Saeid Hassani, 40, who was the third officer, received a 15-year sentence. Two other men, who were on the boat the Castlemore that had been purchased in Castletownbere to collect drugs from the main vessel, were also sentenced for attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply. Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa, 62, with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, received a sentence of 14 and a half years. Jamie Harbron, 31, of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, received a sentence of 13 and a half years in prison. Detective Superintendent Joe O'Reilly from An Garda Siochana said the sentences provide a 'clear message' that Ireland is 'not a soft target' for international organised crime networkers. 'To those involved in drug trafficking, the message is clear that the full force of the Irish state, supported by our international partners, is against you,' he told reporters outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. 'The reality facing you is security interdictions, special investigations, the Special Criminal Court, lengthy sentences and asset seizure. 'Transnational organised crime gangs cause misery to communities, not only in Ireland but throughout the world. Tackling these gangs not only makes Ireland safer but all the other countries that they operate in as well.' Detective Superintendent Joe O'Reilly noted the work of the joint task force, which includes An Garda Siochana, the Revenue Customs Service and the Naval Service supported by other arms of the Irish Defence Forces including the Army Ranger Wing and Air Corps.