2.60 8-Page Special Investigation
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N SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019 e2.60 8-PAGE SPECIAL INVESTIGATION THE PEOPLE’S PAPER LOVE ISLAND n wedrugtestthenation n ourdial-a-dealsting EXCLUSIVE STARTS n ON PAGE MEET eamondunphyexclusive:legalisecokeforusers 41 MAURA’S FAMILY NICOLA TALLANT EXCLUSIVE MASSIVE HAUL: US authorities seized more than FULL STORY 16 tons of cocaine on board the MSC SEE PAGES ship in Philadelphia 4&5 SEE PAGES 2&3 KINAHANS’ FREE €1BILLIONCARTEL BOSS: Daniel Kinahan 7-DAY GLOSSY COKE BUST TELLY n Cartel linked to record-breaking seizure on Philadelphia ship GUIDE n U.S. feds alerted Gardai gang’s cargo was headed for Irish market 4 June 23, 2019 N BUSTS: TOP GARDA ‘CONFIDENT’ THAT CARTEL’S HIGH SEIZE MASSIVE: Cops took in 16.5 tonnes of drugs n Kinahan hit hard as American cops land record-breaking n Police forces across the globe are united in crackdown on DANIEL KINAHAN is one of a group of EXCLUSIVE on Tuesday originated in Chile and travelled organised crime groups pool their resources Europe’s top drug bosses believed to through Panama and the Bahamas before together – someone will provide a route and BY NICOLA TALLANT docking in Philadelphia. someone else will give the transport. Then have lost a record-breaking €1 billion Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll, who is they split up the load when it arrives. cocaine haul following a seizure in are currently liaising with the authorities there,” Head of Special Crime Operations, said that “We are linking in with law enforcement Philadelphia this week. he said. huge hauls like this week’s are a result of inter- on this and in the case of Philadelphia we “The extent to which organised crime groups national police agencies sharing intelligence would have linked in with the law well in A massive 16.5 tons of ‘white’ was being with links to Ireland are involved in this type transported through the U.S. to the Neth- like never before. advance. In general, our crime groups can of joint enterprise is reflected in the fact that “You can maximise the extent to which you be part of these consortium.” erlands on board the MSC Gayane. the Garda Síochána are investigating any can achieve results through the meaningful The Assistant Commissioner said last Officers suspect it was being shipped on behalf possible Irish dimension to this Philadelphia exchange of intelligence at an international year’s haul on the Cork-bound Polar Chile of a number of different criminalorganisations, seizure.” level. There are a lot more operations going including the Kinahan Cartel, who pooled their The Kinahan Cartel are the only Irish organ- is an indication that Ireland is being used as on where we will work with law enforcement a direct route to Europe. wealth and resources to transport the massive ised crime group with enough connections and agencies in other countries. That is what de- cargo. wealth to invest in such a huge consignment of livers results,” he said. IMPACT Assistant Garda Commissioner John cocaine directly from South America. Gardaí have been working intensively with O’Driscoll said gardaí are liaising TRAVELLED their colleagues in Europe, Australia and with “In that case there was a company operat- with law enforcement colleagues in the DEA and other U.S. agencies since funding ing in north Dublin linked to that shipment. the U.S. to examine Irish involve- Daniel Kinahan has established links was put in place to dismantle the Kinahan Cartel. What is for certain is that there were numer- ment in the seizure aboard the with Dutch, Moroccan and Estonian “The seizure in Philadelphia this week fol- ous consignments of fruit heading in the ship, which was raided on the criminal gangs who have been targeted lows on from a number of significant seizures same direction before that sting. River Delaware. by European police forces. He was also of drugs coming into Europe. Last August we “A lot of that will be legitimate transporta- “We were privy to this opera- linked to Chilean Cartel boss Richard saw a seizure of €10million of cocaine in Costa tion of fruit but there is a distinct possibility tion as it was underway as this Eduardo Riquelme Vega, nicknamed ‘El Rica which was bound for Cork in a container that shipments like what was discovered on vessel was destined for Europe. Rico’, who is currently before the courts of pineapples,” said O’Driscoll. the Polar Chile had been previously trans- We have been in constant in Holland. “What is suspected with these cargoes is ported through the same route – through discussions with our U.S. The cargo ship subject to the bust that the quantity would indicate that it isn’t Cork and onwards to Europe. counterparts and we at the Packer Marine Terminal just one group. It is suspected that a number of “For a short period of time big seizures LIASING: Asst. Commissioner John O’Driscoll 8-PAGE SPECIAL N June 23, 2019 5 THEY WILL DISMANTLE ORGANISATION IGH SEIZE SUCCESS: Cops swooped to bring in huge haul in Philadelphia $1 billion cocaine haul major drug operations like this week’s will have an impact on the recently attended a major market, but it doesn’t take that long to get drug enforcement con- back up and running again.” ference in Azerbaijan O’Driscoll has been at the helm of the where they represent- PRESSURE: massive Garda offensive against the ed Ireland among the Daniel Kinahan Kinahan Cartel which got underway DEA’s international after the Regency Hotel attack of 2016. partners. is feeling the The Assistant Commissioner, who has Together they believe heat as cops worked on the drug beat throughout his in cementing Garda continue career, said the approach of the Drugs co-operation with law pursuit and Organised Crime Bureau has been enforcement agencies the “unrelenting pursuit” of the Cartel. throughout the world “There hasn’t been a day that we as being the key to fu- haven’t been working full steam in our ture successes in policing attempts to dismantle this organisation. crime gangs. It is the continuous targeting of them which is doing the damage and I am GANGS confident that we will dismantle this group. Our intelligence gathering is far “We have had results with the Dutch, beyond where we were at the time of the Spanish, the Australians and clearly the Regency. we are working closely with the DEA,” “There is no organised crime group he added. that cannot be policed once the resources “We have also just seen the European are in place. And it has been our focus report which puts figures around all of on international co-operation that has this and looks at Ireland’s drug use. The been most damaging to them.” Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has O’Driscoll and his colleague Detective always been dedicated to a drug strategy Superintendent Seamus Boland of the at home and that is another major part Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau of our work.” STARTS ON ON THE COUNTRY’S ESCALATING COKE ADDICTION PAGE 41 N June 23, 2019 41 IT is the white powder that has become a multi-million euro industry on the Island of Saints and Scholars. In our eight-page special, the Sunday World today reveals how Ireland is in the grip of a cocaine epidemic. We trace how the drug originates in the hills of Colombia before being trafficked across the world by criminal gangs. We also reveal how it is now easier to order a gramme of cocaine online in Dublin than buying a pizza from a delivery outfit. Our team also used cocaine- detection swabs in pubs and clubs across the country to see how widespread the use of the drug is. And Eamon Dunphy speaks in detail about his own use of the drug and how he believes it should be legalised. 8-PAGE SPECIAL ON THE COUNTRY’S COKE ADDICTION 42 June 23, 2019 N THE SERVICE: Our man was offered a line before purchase DIAL EXCLUSIVE BY NICOLA TALLANT IT has moved off the street corners and has gone digital. Last week, a new study revealed cocaine use is booming in Ireland as a result of the ‘Uberisation’ of the trade. The report claimed dealers are exploiting technology and social media to sell their wares – transforming the cocaine trade in the way Uber changed the taxi business. It’s a regular day and around the time when most office workers think about boosting their morning with a flat white or a cup of tea when HIGH I set out to find if it is really so easy to buy a different stimulant online. I pick up my phone and text the number I have found on the internet advertising a “discreet” delivery service for “lovely white” or “pure nose food”. “Hey, saw yer ad, you still got sum white,” I type, trying to sound casual and a little bit ‘street’. It’s 10.51am and I wonder will my message be answered at all – but I needn’t have been concerned. I haven’t even put the phone out of my hand before it beeps. “Yeah pure 100 a g [a gram].” A gram of cocaine for €100 is expensive – it usually costs between €60 to €80 and I have no idea what the quality is or if I am going to be sold talcum powder. After all, this is some CLUB random number off the web. I OUR TEAM ORDERS AWASH “Bit pricey. That de best you can do?” I re- spond. “Ye,” comes the one word reply.