WATCH: Ireland's Largest Drug Seizure: The Dramatic Capture of MV Matthew Off Cork Coast

The MV Matthew, a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, was stormed by Ireland's elite Army Ranger Wing on 26 September 2023 in rough seas off the Cork coast, resulting in the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history.

The operation seized 2.25 tonnes of South American cocaine with an estimated value of €157 million from the 190-metre-long vessel.

The High-Stakes Chase

The dramatic operation unfolded after the MV Matthew refused to stop for the Irish Naval Service's LÉ William Butler Yeats. Warning shots were fired into the water around the vessel before Army Rangers fast-roped from an Irish Air Corps helicopter onto the deck.

The ship had been monitored for weeks based on intelligence from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, relayed through the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre—Narcotics.

International Operation

The MV Matthew had departed from Curaçao off the Venezuelan coast in August 2023. During the Atlantic crossing, crew members were surprised when the ship stopped to take on what they were told were spare parts, but cocaine was actually loaded from another vessel by crane.

The operation was linked to a fishing trawler called the Castlemore, which had been purchased days earlier in Castletownbere, West Cork, and subsequently ran aground on a sandbank off the Wexford coast. Two men were rescued from the Castlemore by Irish Coast Guard helicopter.

The Boarding Operation

As Rangers boarded the vessel, crew members allegedly burned bales of cocaine. The Rangers overcame resistance near the ship's bridge and took control of the ship.

The cargo ship was then escorted into Cork Harbour by the LÉ William Butler Yeats, arriving to crowds of awaiting onlookers in Cobh.

Recent Sentencing

Yesterday, Justice Melanie Greally at the Special Criminal Court sentenced eight crew members to a combined 129 years in prison. The sentences ranged from 13.5 to 20 years, with Dutch national Cumali Ozgen receiving the longest sentence.

Justice Greally described the crew as "valuable components of the engine that drives international drug smuggling" but accepted that none operated in the "upper echelons" of the organised crime group directing the operation remotely.

Dubai-Based Criminal Network

The court heard that the MV Matthew was owned by a Dubai-based company called Symphony Marine and was controlled by an organised crime group with "apparently unlimited resources."

The vessel has cost the Irish State €100,000 per week to maintain since its seizure, totalling €5.3 million by October 2024.

Impact on Drug Trafficking

Assistant Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the seizure as a "significant disruption" for criminal groups, sending a message that "Ireland isn't an easy place to import drugs into."

The case highlighted a potential revolution in drug trafficking methods, where cargo vessels could serve as "motherships" delivering narcotics to smaller boats at any point along coastlines, rather than traditional port-based distribution.

The MV Matthew operation demonstrated the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating transnational organised crime, involving Irish Defence Forces, Gardaí, Revenue Commissioners, and international intelligence agencies.