An Irish court has sentenced eight men to prison terms of between 13 and a half and 20 years for attempting to smuggle 2.2 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than €157 million. The drugs were seized in September 2023 when the Irish Army Ranger Wing boarded the Panamanian-registered bulk carrier MV Matthew off the south-west coast after the vessel ignored naval instructions and warning shots. Six of the defendants—recruited in Dubai and later flown to South America—were arrested on board the ship. Prosecutors said the group worked for a transnational cartel that used encrypted communications, Starlink connectivity and multiple vessels, including a smaller boat that ran aground while allegedly preparing to collect the contraband. The remaining two men were detained onshore in connection with that boat. Judge Melanie Greally cited the “exceptional and egregious” scale of the operation, the organised-crime links and the potential harm of such a large quantity of cocaine in imposing the stiff sentences. The case represents the largest cocaine seizure in Irish history and was praised by the court as a demonstration of the capability of Ireland’s joint maritime-security agencies.