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£62m Cocaine Haul Seized On Yacht Off Cork

£62m Cocaine Haul Seized On Yacht Off Cork

Up to a tonne of cocaine, worth around £62.6m, has been found on a yacht off the south-west coast of Ireland.

Three British crew members from West Yorkshire are being held over the seizure, and a fourth man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import cocaine.

The drugs have an estimated street value of €70m to €80m (£54.8m to £62.6m).

A spokesman for Defence Forces Ireland told Sky News it was one of Ireland's biggest drug hauls of the last 10 years.

It is understood the men on board the Makayabella put up no resistance and were arrested when they arrived on shore.

The ship was identified by the National Crime Agency, which asked the Irish Navy for it to be intercepted.

A joint sea operation by the Revenue Customs Service, the Naval Service and An Garda Síochána soon followed.

In a statement, the Joint Task Force (JTF) said the operation, which began in the early hours of Tuesday morning, took place in "challenging conditions" 200 to 300 miles south-west of Mizen Head, Ireland's most southerly point.

It involved two naval vessels and a number of interagency personnel.

"The LE NIAMH supported by LE ROISIN positively identified a suspect vessel in a covert surveillance operation," it said.

"The decision was made by the JTF situated in the Naval Operations Command Centre in Haulbowline to deploy an armed Naval boarding party, which resulted in the successful detention by Revenue’s Customs Service of the yacht, suspected contraband and the crew of three."

Ireland's Defence Minister Simon Coveney has congratulated all the agencies involved for their "pivotal role in the success of the operation".

It is believed the ship was destined for north Wales.