Eight People Sentenced to Prison for High-Stakes Cocaine Bust Off Ireland

Eight people have been sentenced to spend more than a decade in prison in connection with the 2023 drug bust aboard the merchant bulker Matthew, the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history.

In September 2023, Irish authorities received intelligence indicating a planned handoff from the bulker Matthew to the small trawler Castlemore at a designated transfer point off the coast of Cork. Several days in advance, the Irish Navy patrol vessel William Butler Yeats got under way and loitered in the area to observe.

On the morning of September 26, the Yeats received orders to chase the bulker down. When it failed to comply with directives to head for the port of Cork, the crew of the Yeats fired warning shots, which the bulker ignored.

As the Yeats increased the intensity of its warning shots, ramping up towards disabling shots at the Matthew's engine room, it received orders to stand by. Instead, a team of Irish Army Ranger Wing commandos boarded the vessel by helicopter to enforce compliance. The boarding was hazardous, the team told Irish Mirror: the helicopter's blades came dangerously close to one of the Matthew's deck cranes as the vessel continued to maneuver. After the commando team fast-roped onto the rolling, pitching deck, the operation proceeded as planned and the ship was under control within minutes.

During the process, the boarding team had to stop some of Matthew's crewmembers from attempting to burn the cocaine in a lifeboat, they told the Irish Mirror.

Overall, the operation netted 2,200 kilos of cocaine, valued at $170 million. Six people aboard the vessel were arrested, and all pleaded guilty to smuggling charges. Two men on shore - one Ukrainian national and one British national - also filed guilty pleas for attempted drug smuggling.

During sentencing, the judge took into account the involvement of a transnational drug cartel in the planning and execution of the shipment, an aggravating factor. Given the size of the bust, the authorities believe that at least part of the shipment was likely headed to other markets after landing in Ireland.

The court handed down a sentence of 20 years for crewmember Cumali "Jimmy" Ozgen, who was considered the cartel's ringleader on board. The others were sentenced to 13.5-18 years.