Gardaí have seized cocaine valued at more than €10 million after a surveillance operation on a sophisticated drugs distribution hub, headed by a well-known figure from the south east, resulted in the discovery of a secret compartment in a truck that was packed with the drugs.
The truck, which was stopped by gardaí on the M9 in Co Kilkenny on Tuesday morning, had been modified to create the hidden compartment in a tactic gardaí have now discovered several times during operations in recent years.
Gardaí also suspect the consignment of cocaine originated in South America and may have been covertly landed on the coastline after being collected in “fast boats” from a mother ship that brought the haul into Irish waters.
A man (60s) arrested as part of the operation has legitimate business interests, including in the logistics sector. Gardaí are trying to establish if he used his contacts and infrastructure to aid the drug smuggling operation.
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He has been a target of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) for some time.
Gardaí believe the suspect has links to the Dublin-based gang that is sometimes referred to in media reports as “The Family”. It has surpassed the Kinahan cartel’s Irish operation as the biggest drugs network in the Republic.
The gang, and others working for it, were targeted by an international policing operation last year when the Australian-run Ghost encrypted messaging platform was infiltrated.
[ How ‘The Family’ Dublin drugs gang got snared in encrypted platform infiltrationOpens in new window ]
The hidden compartment in the truck discovered on Tuesday was of very high quality and necessitated the vehicle being brought to Dublin Port, for X-ray with a specialist scanner. When the precise location and structure of the compartment was established, it facilitated the retrieval of the cocaine on Tuesday night.
The compartment including a hydraulic system, which was electronically controlled, to open and close the compartment, ensuring it was hidden and secure.
Gardaí from DOCB and Waterford Drug and Crime Units carried out the operation on Tuesday morning. As well as seizing the truck, they searched two business premises and a residential address in Co Waterford.
An estimated 152 kilograms of cocaine, valued at €10.6 million, was discovered in what gardaí called “a sophisticated vehicle concealment”.
The suspect was arrested under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006 in relation to facilitating and enhancing drug distribution activities for an organised crime group and was being detained on Wednesday at a Garda station in the Eastern region.
The operation was supported by Revenue Customs Service, the Garda Dog Unit and the Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, who is in charge of Organised and Serious Crime, said: “This is a further example of An Garda Síochána’s commitment to target the enablers and facilitators of organised crime.
“The recently published European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA 2025) highlights that serious and organised crime undermines the very foundations of political, economic and social cohesion and stability through illicit proceeds, the perpetuation of violence and the extension of corruption.”
Gardaí thanked the public for its support and said anyone can report suspicious activity in confidence to the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.
