Irishman among three held after €110m drugs haul on yacht
An Irishman is among three people arrested after Portuguese police and military intercepted a yacht with more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine on board off the Azores.
Two Danish men were also arrested after 1,660 kilos of the class-A drug, with a potential street value of around €110m, were found on the 11-metre vessel.
All three were in Sao Miguel Prison in the capital, Ponta Delgada, after being remanded by a judge following their first court appearance on Friday. An Irishman is among three people arrested after Portuguese police and military intercepted a yacht with more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine on board off the Azores. Pic: Getty Images
Portuguese police also confirmed Spanish counterparts had held the suspected leader of the criminal gang in a 'parallel' operation believed to have taken place on the Costa del Sol. The operation that led to the high-seas cocaine bust was codenamed Operation Vikings.
A spokesman for Portugal's Policia Judiciaria described the three men in an official statement as 'foreigners' but a well-placed source yesterday confirmed they included an Irish national.
Portugal's police also said Irish authorities had assisted them. An Irishman is among three people arrested after Portuguese police and military intercepted a yacht with more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine on board off the Azores. Pic: Horacio Villalobos – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The police statement said: 'With the support of the Portuguese Navy, we launched an operation to combat international drug trafficking by sea.
'Operation Vikings is the result of a complex investigation over the last two years, aimed at dismantling an international criminal organisation.'
The statement added: 'Given the nationality of the suspects and the geographical dispersion of their activities, the assistance provided by foreign counterparts in the context of international police co-operation, in particular the Spanish National Police, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Danish National Special Crimes Unit (NSK Danish Police) and the French and Irish authorities, was also relevant.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Fire destroys ambulance & damages buildings at Irish hospital with probe launched as rickshaw torched in separate blaze
A MAJOR probe is underway after an ambulance was destroyed by a fire near the busy hospital in Mayo. Advertisement 3 The fire team responded to a report of an ambulance on fire in Mayo Credit: Patrick Bramley/PA 3 Fire crew in Dublin also responded to a report of a rickshaw on fire Credit: Facebook It was reported that the vehicle was not in use at the time of the incident. No patients were affected and no staff were injured. The fire has caused damage to nearby property where the ambulance was parked in The Advertisement READ MORE ON NEWS An investigation is currently being conducted to establish the cause of the However, they are not treating the fire incident as suspicious. No further information has been disclosed by the cops. Meanwhile, Advertisement Most read in Irish News A rickshaw was reported to be on fire on the streets of the city centre. The firefighters' team from Tara Street responded to the alarm and rushed to the scene. Horror moment lorry catches fire on the side of busy Irish road A high-pressure hose reel was used to extinguish the fire, the spokesperson for Dublin Fire Brigade revealed. They said: "Firefighters from Tara Street responded to a rickshaw on fire last night in the City Centre. "A high pressure hose reel was used to extinguish the fire." Advertisement It is currently unknown what the cause of the fire was. HOUSE FIRE Separately, a woman has died and a young male was injured in a Emergency services and police rushed to the scene in the Bearna Park area of Killeavy around 8.40am. The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service tackled the blaze. Advertisement The woman, aged in her 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. And the young male was hospitalised for his injuries. Cops are continuing to investigate the cause of the They are appealing to anyone with information to make contact with them. Advertisement Anyone with video footage that could assist with the investigation should contact the 3 The investigation of the ambulance on fire is underway Credit: Google Street Maps
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Keir Starmer calls on Kneecap to be dropped from Glastonbury
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on the organisers of Glastonbury Festival to pull Kneecap from their line-up, stating it is 'not appropriate.' Last week, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in a London court on a terrorism charge after it was alleged he displayed a Hezbollah flag during a live performance in the UK in November, 2024. The 27-year-old spoke just to confirm his identity at the beginning of proceedings. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on organisers of Glastonbury Festival to pull Kneecap from their line-up, stating it is 'not appropriate.' Pic: Benjamin Cremel –He was granted unconditional bail and is set to return to court on August 20, when legal arguments will be addressed. The band took to the stage at Fairview Park in Dublin the day after the court appearance, and are also scheduled to appear at Glastonbury next weekend with the charge certainly not hindering their popularity. The rap band are set to play the West Host Stage on Saturday from 4pm, with the BBC broadcasting the festival for those who can't make it. Kneecap band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Pic: Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images There is uncertainty, however, surrounding Kneecap's appearance on the broadcaster following calls from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in recent days for the set not be streamed. The Sun report that the broadcaster confirmed that 'decisions on our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.' Elsewhere, British PM Keir Starmer has now called for the band to be pulled completely from the line-up, stating 'we need to come down really clearly on this.' DJ Provaí from Kneecap performing at Coachella. Pic: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, the Labour politician said he didn't think Kneecap should play Glastonbury. 'I won't say too much, because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate,' he answered. The band have a string of gigs lined up over the next couple of months, including Boucher Playing Fields in their native Belfast in August. MThe band will play at the OVO Wembley Arena on September 18, with social media users delighted with the announcement. Pic: BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images Earlier in June, they announced their 'biggest ever headline show outside of Ireland' was set to take place in London in September. The band will play at the OVO Wembley Arena on September 18, with social media users delighted with the announcement. Next month, the band will play at the O2 Academy in Glasgow in a gig they scheduled to 'make up' to their fans after they were pulled from TRNSMT. The axing came after Police Scotland said the band's performance would require a 'significant policing operation.'
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily: Noraid- The IRA and Sinn Féin's American funding wing - where all those dollars went
From lavish dinners to buckets in Irish pubs in the US, Noraid members collected millions of dollars for the republican cause. But the question was always: where did the money go? Did it – as claimed – go to help support the families of imprisoned IRA members or did it go towards buying arms? And if it did, were Noraid members involved in gun-running? RTÉ is set to broadcast a two-part documentary Noraid: Irish-America and the IRA. This series looks at how Irish-Americans helped to keep the Provisional IRA's armed campaign going, but also ultimately brought it to a conclusion. It was written and directed by Kevin Brannigan – he joined Ciarán Dunbar on The BelTel. Today's Indo Daily podcast comes from our sister podcast The BelTel.
