Tag Archives: off Wexford coast
Cocaine bust trawler remains wedged on sandbank off Wexford coast
Detectives with the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau stated in court that it was their belief that fishing trawler The Castlemore was “attempting a transaction” with the cargo ship the MV Matthew off the Wexford coast at the time it ran aground. Two weeks ago, a major salvage operation was said to have begun to recover the fishing trawler from the sandbank off the Wexford coast, however, it appears that all efforts to date have been unsuccessful and the trawler remains wedged in the sand. Sources suggest that the recovery of the trawler is becoming a bigger and more difficult task with every passing day and some reports even suggest that the vessel may now be buried up to its wheelhouse. >>click to read<< 08:35
Drug dopes gave bogus ‘fishing trip’ reason to buy €400k cocaine trawler – then beached it after space tech move
The trawler beached off the Wexford coast while on a drugs run was sold to two “foreigners” in Castletownbere for up to €400,000 the day before. The 15-metre Castlemore had been on the market for three years, owned by a member of a prominent fishing family hamstrung by strict EU fishing quotas in the Co Cork harbour town. After a test run, a bill of sale was drawn up and the new owners quickly bought and installed a top-of-the-range Elon Musk SpaceX satellite system before they left Castletownbere. Within hours, the boat left Co Cork purportedly for Devon, but instead it’s believed it headed off to rendezvous with the mother ship laden with over 2.25 tonnes of coke. Photos, >>click to read<< 07:59
Trawler that ran aground off Wexford coast in suspected drug smuggling operation was bought days earlier in west Cork
The Castlemore, the 21-year-old twin rigger, had been bought by a local fisherman in Castletownbere in 2017 and used to fish for prawn and white fish off the southwest coast but the owner had been trying to sell the boat for the last two years and on Friday, the boat was purchased by an unknown buyer. The boat left Castletownbere late on Friday night or early Saturday morning and was reported to be headed for Brixham in Devon but local sources in Castletownbere suspect that the vessel headed off to rendezvous with another vessel which had crossed the Atlantic with a consignment of cocaine. The cocaine was then transferred from the boat that had crossed the Atlantic to the Castlemore in what is known as “coopering” so that when the other boat entered port and was checked by customs officials, they would find nothing while the drugs would be brought ashore by the trawler. >>click to read<< 09:14
A Funeral of fisherman who died off Wexford coast takes place
Fisherman Willie Whelan, who was missing for almost three weeks after his trawler sank early this month, has been buried in Co Wexford. Funeral mass for the 41-year-old took place this afternoon in Poulfur, not far from his native Saltmills. A large crowd braved the wet, cold weather to pack into the church and outside for the ceremony, which took place three days after the popular fisherman’s body was recovered from the sea. >click to read< 15:46
Body found in search for missing fisherman off Wexford coast
It is believed a body has been found in the search for missing fisherman William “Willie” Whelan off the Wexford coast. Mr Whelan, 41, from Saltmills, Co Wexford, disappeared when his trawler, the Alize,,, A second fisherman – Joe Sinnott, 65, from Kilmore Quay – died in hospital after being rescued and was laid to rest last week. The two men were close friends as well as work colleagues. Both men had impeccable safety records,,, >click to read< 13:15
