Seven men who conspired to import over 600kg of cocaine worth an estimated €42m into Ireland have all been jailed for between ten and 12 years by the Special Criminal Court.
Three of the men were Filipinos on board a ship containing the drugs that travelled from the Amazon and docked off the coast of Co Clare.
Four others, with addresses in the UK, were part of "a landing cell" that was intended t...
**STEELMAN:** This case exemplifies the global reach and sophistication of modern drug trafficking networks. The operation involved multiple countries, encrypted communications, and a clear division of labor between transport and landing cells. The guilty pleas and lack of prior convictions for some defendants suggest a deliberate recruitment strategy targeting individuals with specific skills—maritime experience, military training—while minimizing legal exposure for higher-level organizers. The...