Hezbollah funded record €157m Cork coke haul on MV Matthew

Dramatic footage of the major operation involving the Army Rangers, Customs, Gardaí, and the Navy was released on Saturday showing how they successfully boarded and captured the drugs ship as part of a joint operation.

A record 2.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth around €157m, was seized on the ship off the coast of Cork after the dramatic operation which saw Army Rangers abseil onto the vessel after a Navy warship fired warning shots and gave pursuit off the coast southwest Ireland in September 2023.

Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis confirmed yesterday that the Kinahan Organised Crime Group were being investigated in relation to the seizure.

“It would be reasonable to assume they would be one of a number of organised crime groups that would be involved in something of this nature.”

Sources said the Kinahans are believed to have worked with multiple organised crimes groups, including a Scottish-based mob, European gangs, Iranian criminals and even terror organisation Hezbollah in organising the drugs shipment which was sourced from Clan de Golfo drug cartel in Colombia.

Two Iranian men convicted this week over the haul are understood to have links to Hezbollah and the court was told there was a “major Iranian nexus” to the operation.

Sources also said there were indications of links between criminals involved in the plot and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a feared branch of the Iranian army.

Officials refused to comment on any involvement of terror groups or state actors at a press conference in Haulbowline Naval Base in Cork on Saturday.

While the Kinahan Cartel’s Irish arm has taken major blows, it still operates on a global level and has made new alliances in recent years.

David Caunter, director of Interpol’s emerging crime directorate, told the Sunday World that the Kinahans were in the top tier of organised crime groups on Interpol’s radar.

“I would say they are a top criminal organisation at the top level.”

He said that he believes the heads of the cartel will be brought to justice.

“I think the arrest of Sean McGovern and extradition back here sends a clear message to organised crime that the reach extends across borders.”

Asked if he felt Daniel Kinahan and other top players would eventually face justice, he said he was “optimistic”.

He added that the so-called super-cartel – which involved the Kinahans, the Balkan Tito and Dino Clan, Italian mafia boss Raffaele Imperiale and Dutch Moroccan trafficker, Ridouan Taghi – has now evolved after numerous senior figures were arrested and new alliances were formed globally.

“I think it continues to evolve. These cartels are very resilient. They are looking for new ways to get their drugs to market. It’s changing.

“They are looking to develop partnerships in parts of the world where they hadn’t necessarily developed these partnerships before… that global connection is quite strong.

“The local traffickers may not understand that they are just a piece of this larger transnational global crime picture.”

“We know that especially in the Middle East we have seen some connections down in South America between these organised crime groups and this case shows there are strong linkages.”

He said that nowhere was safe for organised crime groups such as the Kinahans and their international partners.

“We will find you and bring you to justice,” he warned.

He said he could not comment on any potential Hezbollah links but added: “You do see how drug trafficking has become a national security issue. These criminal groups are quite strong and have unlimited resources. With that you’re going to see that blending between various actors.”

He said Ireland was an obvious entry point into Europe to smuggle drugs because it is an island with a lot of coastline.

Attempts to smuggle drugs by sea into Ireland escalated in recent years after clampdowns in European ports used by smugglers in the Netherlands and other jurisdictions.

Gangs, including the Kinahans, have now turned their focus towards west Africa as an entry point smuggling route for drugs destined for Europe.

Assistant Commissioner Willis said people like those sentenced this week were dispensable to cartels.

“Transnational organised crime gangs know no borders; they prey on people’s vulnerability for their own financial gain. People are expendable who are no longer of use to the criminal organisation. Life is cheap and protecting their core criminal interest which is money is key priority.”

She said anyone who consumes drugs is funding these criminal organisations and “directly linked to the misery and suffering” those gangs inflict on communities.

While the haul was organised in the Kinahans’ current base in the UAE, gardaí have also identified Irish-based criminals as part of further investigations following the seizure.

“The next phase of the operation is to look at the peripheral involvement of other people here in Ireland and abroad, and that phase has now commenced and that will also include looking at asset recovery of those people.”

The dramatic video of the joint operation to take down the MV Matthew included messages and voice notes from a United Arab Emirates criminal with links to Hezbollah describing himself as Captain Noah, who was urging the crew not to panic even after authorities have engaged with them.

However, he later said he was close to a “heart attack” as the Navy gave pursuit and eventually ordered the crew to burn the drugs when he realised they were going to be stormed.

Assistant Commissioner Willis said authorities believe Captain Noah is still alive and operating in the Middle East.

Members of Army Ranger Wing stormed and captured the vessel in less than 10 minutes and the Irish Naval Service fired warning shots after the vessel failed to stop and tried to sail away destined for Sierra Leone.

On Friday, eight men received prison sentences combing 129 years in relation to the seizure.

Six men pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on board the MV Matthew between September 24 and 26 2023.

Dutch national Cumali Ozgen (49), who was described as the “eyes and ears of the criminal organisation” on board the vessel, received a sentence of 20 years, while the second officer, Filipino Harold Estoesta (31) received a sentence of 18 years.

The captain of the vessel, Iranian Soheil Jelveh (51) received 17-and-a-half years in prison.

Ukrainian nationals Vitaliy Vlasoi (33) received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence and Mykhailo Gavryk (32) received 14 years’ imprisonment.

Footage as eight men jailed for involvement in Ireland’s largest drugs haul

Saeid Hassani (40), who was the third officer, received a 15-year sentence.

Two other men, who were on the boat, the Castlemore, that had been purchased in Castletownbere to collect drugs from the main vessel, were also sentenced for attempting to possess cocaine for sale or supply.

Ukrainian national Vitaliy Lapa (62), with an address at Rudenka, Repina Str in Berdyansk, received a sentence of 14-and-a-half years.

Jamie Harbron (31), of South Avenue, Billingham in the UK, received a sentence of 13-and-a-half years in prison.

The company who bought the MV Matthew cargo ship set up a website just six weeks before the seizure, with servers based in the United Arab Emirates boasting how their “extensive network of partners and port authorities allow us to efficiently navigate through various regions”.

The ship, which flew under the Panama flag, was purchased by the newly formed company Matthew Maritime just six weeks before the seizure. It was called the MV Honmon before its name was changed to the MV Matthew while it was travelling through the Caribbean from Aruba to Willemstad in Curaçao.

Matthew Maritime is headquartered in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean and shares an address with several shipping companies who have been placed under international sanctions for a variety of reasons.

Matthew Maritime claimed that the company has carried out 1,000 deliveries on 1,216 voyages to 100 international ports despite the fact the company itself was only set up in July.

The MV Matthew is also the only ship that Matthew Maritime owned and it had not made 1,216 voyages.

The website for Matthew Maritime was also only set up in July 2023 and remains online makes various claims about the firm which do not seem to match up with a company with one ship that was only set up a few months previously.

They describe the company as having “a strong industry legacy and a worldwide presence”.

“We specialize in managing bulk carrier vessels with precision and expertise, ensuring the smooth and secure transportation of dry cargo across the globe.

“Our unwavering dedication to quality, environmental stewardship, and advanced technology distinguishes us as the go-to choice for clients seeking seamless shipping solutions and profitable ventures in the maritime domain. Come aboard as we chart a course towards prosperity and sustainability together.”

The movements of the MV Matthew in the run-up to the seizure had raised suspicions with various authorities.

It travelled through various stops in the Caribbean, including the island of Curaçao, before heading to Georgetown in Guyana in South America.

It picked up cargo before sailing across the Atlantic to Morocco and on towards Irish waters.

While it initially listed its next destination as Gdansk in Poland this was changed to Belfast mid-journey.

Matthew Maritime did not make any attempt to claim the MV Matthew in the almost two years since it was stormed by the Defence Forces and seized by the State.

It emerged yesterday that a potential buyer has now been found for the vessel.