Ireland: Britons held over massive drugs haul

Two British men are being held by Irish police after the seizure of what could be the country's biggest single drugs haul.

Two more men are being hunted after 55 white waterproof bales measuring around 3ft long by 2ft wide containing up to a tonne of cocaine were recovered from the sea off the coast of Mizen Head, Co Cork.

The consignment has been valued at €70 million (£48m) but could exceed €200 million (£135 million) pending forensic testing and further sea searches.

What began as a search and rescue bid turned into a massive drugs squad operation when two men went out to sea in a small inflatable dinghy which capsized in rough seas.

One managed to swim to shore and raise the alarm at around 8am while the other was recovered from the sea just over an hour later. Both men, who were wearing life jackets, were rushed to Bantry General Hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Hours later local residents reported seeing dozens of the packages bobbing in the sea off Dun Lough Bay. One of the men was arrested under drugs trafficking legislation after he tried to leave the hospital.

The other, also believed to be in his 20s, is in a comfortable condition in hospital.

Police believe the drugs could have originated in the Caribbean and a vehicle was waiting on the shore to pick up the consignment.

The west Cork coastline has been regarded as a notorious drug trafficking route over the past two decades. In 1996, a yacht named the Sea Mist was discovered off the coast carrying 599kg of cocaine with a street value of €42 million (£28m).

Last year some €100 million (£68m) worth of drugs were seized within the state.

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