Foreign News

Huge drugs bust reveals battles on cocaine ‘superhighway’

Published

3 months ago

2025/09/9

Priyan

The Panama-registered MV Matthew was bought by drug cartels in August 2023 [BBC]

The text message came from Dubai with a Santa emoji. “OK lads. No need for luck. Really this couldn’t be any more straightforward. Just relax and this will all be over soon.”

It was sent to a fisherman from Ukraine and an unemployed man from Teesside who were sailing to the middle of the Irish Sea to collect cocaine from a passing cargo ship, the MV Matthew.

As it turned out, they needed plenty of luck and very little was straightforward.

The two men were part of an audacious attempt to traffic more than 2.2 tonnes of cocaine into the UK and Europe. It ended in failure, with a successful strike against the powerful drug cartels by the Irish authorities.

Eight men were convicted and jailed for a total of 129 years. All of the cocaine was destroyed.

But despite this result, law enforcement agencies across Europe admit they are struggling to stop the growing quantity of cocaine crossing the Atlantic from South America.

The Maritime Analysis Operations Centre (MAOC), which polices the transatlantic drug trade, says 100 ships suspected of trafficking drugs to Europe were not stopped last year because the authorities didn’t have enough vessels to intercept them.

“We have the intelligence of the vessel that’s crossing the Atlantic… that it’s loaded at that time, and still we don’t have the interception assets available,” its director, Sjoerd Top, tells Panorama.

Up to 600 vessels are monitored by MAOC each day, while record amounts of cocaine are being produced in South America, he adds.

UK users consumed 117 tonnes of cocaine last year, the UK’s National Crime Agency reported. The number of cocaine-related deaths has risen ten-fold since 2011.

The drug is usually shipped in large container ships to European ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp. But security has been tightened there, so smugglers are looking for alternative routes.

Many are now using at-sea drop-off methods, unloading bales of cocaine from a “mother” vessel to be picked up by a smaller “daughter” craft and taken to shore.

“We’ve intercepted tonnes of cocaine in the last six months alone, multiple one, two tonne seizures through this method at sea,” Charlie Eastaugh, UK Border Force maritime director, tells us.

But the cartels are unrelenting and have increasingly been targeting Ireland – the only European country with an open border with the UK – as a back door.

Ireland has almost 2,000 miles of coastline, much of it ideal for smuggling, with many hundreds of isolated inlets.

And that coastline is vulnerable. The country’s defence forces help combat the cartels. Ireland has the lowest defence spending in the EU, just 0.2 % of GDP. The Irish Naval Service has eight ships but can usually put just two to sea because of a shortage of sailors.

“We have 132,000 square miles of water under our jurisdiction. A responsibility to the EU for 16% of European waters… two ships. It doesn’t make any sense,” former naval commander Eugene Ryan says.

It is the same with air support. The Irish Defence Forces are supposed to provide the helicopters to help protect the coastline. But Panorama has been told that sometimes they don’t have a single one available that can do the job.

“The narcotic superhighway comes right across the Atlantic and one of the first countries it reaches is Ireland. Our territorial waters are a free-for-all really, it’s like the Wild West out there,” says Cathal Berry, an ex-Irish Army commandant.

The Irish government says it maintains a “continuous presence and vigilance” within its maritime domain. It says funding for defence will increase by €600m (£520m) – a 55% increase over four years – and “significant initiatives… have also resulted in the stabilisation of Naval Service strength”.

PA Media Photo capturing Vitaliy Lapa and Jamie Harbron as they enter court. Lapa has short grey hair, grey stubble and a grey sweatshirt with a zipped grey top. He is holding his arms in front of him as his hands are cuffed. Harbron has short dark hair, a dark beard and is also wearing a grey sweatshirt. — *Vitaliy Lapa was jailed for 14-and-a-half years and Jamie Harbron for 13-and-a-half years [BBC]*

While the record cocaine seizure on the MV Matthew was a success for the Irish state, it also showed the potential weaknesses in the country’s defences.

A group of cartels, believed by law enforcement to be led by the notorious Kinahan organised crime group, bought the cargo ship for around £10m in August 2023.

In mid-September, three men were sent to buy a trawler called the Castlemore in the fishing port of Castletownbere, in the south-west of Ireland.

They were Ukrainian Vitaliy Lapa, Jamie Harbron from Stockton-on-Tees and a Scottish man who had arrived from Dubai – who police called Person of Interest One.

Police were watching as the Scotsman oversaw a €300,000 (£260,000) payment from a building company in Dubai. Panorama has identified him as Glaswegian Stefan Boyd – although it is not known if he played a wider role.

Boyd flew back to Dubai first class, where he is believed to remain. Panorama has been unable to contact him for comment.

Lapa and Habron – who were later convicted – took the Castlemore to sea on Friday 22 September, not knowing that police had fitted a tracker to the vessel.

The police later obtained messages that showed the crew were getting instructions from Dubai.

The Irish authorities tracked the MV Matthew and the Castlemore over the next two days, as the two vessels attempted, but failed, to rendezvous in the Irish Sea during storms. The trawler had engine problems and lost power intermittently.

As the weather worsened, the Iranian skipper of the MV Matthew, Soheil Jelveh, wanted to head north, but his Dubai bosses warned him to avoid UK waters. “The Irish coastguard has VHF only, the British coastguards have boats too,” they messaged.

At the time, the Irish navy only had one ship at sea, the WB Yeats. It was, in fact, already tracking the smugglers and awaiting an order to intervene.

On Sunday night, the Castlemore ran aground on a sandbank in the storm and the traffickers on the trawler had to call the Irish coastguard to save them. They were winched to safety by helicopter.

On the MV Matthew, panic had set in. Less than 24 hours later the skipper falsely claimed he had been injured and needed urgent treatment. He too was airlifted to safety by the coastguard, which was unaware of the navy operation.

At hospital, it was discovered Jelveh had more than $50,000 (£37,982) in his bag. He was arrested after jumping off a bed and trying to make a dash out the hospital doors.

*The MV Matthew’s crew were captured by members of Ireland’s Army Ranger Wing, who descended from a helicopter [BBC]*

Meanwhile, a Filipino man, Harold Estoesta, had taken over as skipper and tried to evade the navy.

Voice messages and texts tell the tale of the next few hours.

A boss in Dubai, calling himself Captain Noah, told the crew to hold their nerve. “My stress level is near to heart attack. Try to be calm, be calm. Full speed go,” he said in a voice message.

But the navy ordered the MV Matthew to redirect to Cork – eventually firing warning shots. The first time since the 1980s.

One recorded exchange gives a sense of the drama, with the new skipper telling the navy, “We are afraid. We will go away because you fire at us. Please do not fire at us. My crew now panicking, crying”.

The navy commander responds: “You do not have to be afraid. All I ask is that you proceed to Cork Harbour.”

The Irish authorities decided to board the MV Matthew using the Irish Army Rangers Wing, but there weren’t any suitable helicopters available.

Five were in a hangar, waiting for spare parts and servicing. The only airworthy helicopter was being used as an air ambulance.

“They had to strip out all the medical equipment, and re-task it for a military tasking,” says Cathal Berry, a former deputy commander of the Rangers Wing. Two machine guns were quickly installed.

The bosses in Dubai still did not think the Irish military could stop them.

Captain Noah told them in an audio message, “Guys, please listen to me. ‘Til now there is no helicopter for you guys, no commando, nothing. OK, be confident.”

*The 2.2 tonnes of cocaine had an estimated value of more than €157m (£136) [BBC]*

The final messages sent to Captain Noah from the MV Matthew were pictures of a helicopter hovering over the ship. Seconds later, the rangers dropped onto the deck and captured the crew.

Against the odds, and despite the shortage of ships and helicopters, the drug bust was a win for the Irish state.

Since then, another four attempts to traffic large quantities of cocaine to the UK have been uncovered by Irish police. But the traffickers are relentless and have huge resources.

“If I was in narco now I’d be rubbing my hands together,” says Eugene Ryan, the former commander of fleet operations in the Irish navy. “If they send 20 tonnes of cocaine on a number of vessels and some get caught, they’ll still get 12-15 tonnes in.”

Drug trafficking is a growing problem across Europe – and those leading the fight say every country needs to do more to stop it.

***[BBC]***

Irish Air Corps Pic taken from helicopter showing the MV Matthew at sea, with another helicopter hovering over the stern. — *Vitaliy Lapa was jailed for 14-and-a-half years and Jamie Harbron for 13-and-a-half years [BBC]*

While the record cocaine seizure on the MV Matthew was a success for the Irish state, it also showed the potential weaknesses in the country’s defences.

A group of cartels, believed by law enforcement to be led by the notorious Kinahan organised crime group, bought the cargo ship for around £10m in August 2023.

In mid-September, three men were sent to buy a trawler called the Castlemore in the fishing port of Castletownbere, in the south-west of Ireland.

They were Ukrainian Vitaliy Lapa, Jamie Harbron from Stockton-on-Tees and a Scottish man who had arrived from Dubai – who police called Person of Interest One.

Police were watching as the Scotsman oversaw a €300,000 (£260,000) payment from a building company in Dubai. Panorama has identified him as Glaswegian Stefan Boyd – although it is not known if he played a wider role.

Boyd flew back to Dubai first class, where he is believed to remain. Panorama has been unable to contact him for comment.

Lapa and Habron – who were later convicted – took the Castlemore to sea on Friday 22 September, not knowing that police had fitted a tracker to the vessel.

The police later obtained messages that showed the crew were getting instructions from Dubai.

The Irish authorities tracked the MV Matthew and the Castlemore over the next two days, as the two vessels attempted, but failed, to rendezvous in the Irish Sea during storms. The trawler had engine problems and lost power intermittently.

As the weather worsened, the Iranian skipper of the MV Matthew, Soheil Jelveh, wanted to head north, but his Dubai bosses warned him to avoid UK waters. “The Irish coastguard has VHF only, the British coastguards have boats too,” they messaged.

At the time, the Irish navy only had one ship at sea, the WB Yeats. It was, in fact, already tracking the smugglers and awaiting an order to intervene.

On Sunday night, the Castlemore ran aground on a sandbank in the storm and the traffickers on the trawler had to call the Irish coastguard to save them. They were winched to safety by helicopter.

On the MV Matthew, panic had set in. Less than 24 hours later the skipper falsely claimed he had been injured and needed urgent treatment. He too was airlifted to safety by the coastguard, which was unaware of the navy operation.

At hospital, it was discovered Jelveh had more than $50,000 (£37,982) in his bag. He was arrested after jumping off a bed and trying to make a dash out the hospital doors.

*The MV Matthew’s crew were captured by members of Ireland’s Army Ranger Wing, who descended from a helicopter [BBC]*

Meanwhile, a Filipino man, Harold Estoesta, had taken over as skipper and tried to evade the navy.

Voice messages and texts tell the tale of the next few hours.

A boss in Dubai, calling himself Captain Noah, told the crew to hold their nerve. “My stress level is near to heart attack. Try to be calm, be calm. Full speed go,” he said in a voice message.

But the navy ordered the MV Matthew to redirect to Cork – eventually firing warning shots. The first time since the 1980s.

One recorded exchange gives a sense of the drama, with the new skipper telling the navy, “We are afraid. We will go away because you fire at us. Please do not fire at us. My crew now panicking, crying”.

The navy commander responds: “You do not have to be afraid. All I ask is that you proceed to Cork Harbour.”

The Irish authorities decided to board the MV Matthew using the Irish Army Rangers Wing, but there weren’t any suitable helicopters available.

Five were in a hangar, waiting for spare parts and servicing. The only airworthy helicopter was being used as an air ambulance.

“They had to strip out all the medical equipment, and re-task it for a military tasking,” says Cathal Berry, a former deputy commander of the Rangers Wing. Two machine guns were quickly installed.

The bosses in Dubai still did not think the Irish military could stop them.

Captain Noah told them in an audio message, “Guys, please listen to me. ‘Til now there is no helicopter for you guys, no commando, nothing. OK, be confident.”

*The 2.2 tonnes of cocaine had an estimated value of more than €157m (£136) [BBC]*

The final messages sent to Captain Noah from the MV Matthew were pictures of a helicopter hovering over the ship. Seconds later, the rangers dropped onto the deck and captured the crew.

Against the odds, and despite the shortage of ships and helicopters, the drug bust was a win for the Irish state.

Since then, another four attempts to traffic large quantities of cocaine to the UK have been uncovered by Irish police. But the traffickers are relentless and have huge resources.

“If I was in narco now I’d be rubbing my hands together,” says Eugene Ryan, the former commander of fleet operations in the Irish navy. “If they send 20 tonnes of cocaine on a number of vessels and some get caught, they’ll still get 12-15 tonnes in.”

Drug trafficking is a growing problem across Europe – and those leading the fight say every country needs to do more to stop it.

***[BBC]***

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Foreign News

Rights groups condemn new record number of executions in Saudi Arabia

Published

2 hours ago

2025/12/21

Priyan

Egyptian fisherman Issam al-Shazly was executed on Tuesday after being convicted of drug-related charges [BBC]

Saudi Arabia has surpassed its record for the number of executions carried out annually for a second year in a row.

At least 347 people have now been put to death this year, up from a total of 345 in 2024, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve, which tracks executions in Saudi Arabia and has clients on death row.

It said this was the “bloodiest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began”.

The latest prisoners to be executed were two Pakistani nationals convicted of drug-related offences.

Others put to death this year include a journalist and two young men who were children at the time of their alleged protest-related crimes. Five were women.

But, according to Reprieve, most – around two thirds – were convicted of non-lethal drug-related offences, which the UN says is “incompatible with international norms and standards”.

More than half of them were foreign nationals who appear to have been put to death as part of a “war on drugs” in the kingdom.

The Saudi authorities have not responded to the BBC’s request for comment on the rise in executions.

“Saudi Arabia is operating with complete impunity now,” said Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve’s head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa. “It’s almost making a mockery of the human rights system.”

She described torture and forced confessions as “endemic” within the Saudi criminal justice system.

Ms Basyouni called it a “brutal and arbitrary crackdown” in which innocent people and those on the margins of society have been caught up.

On Tuesday, a young Egyptian fisherman, Issam al-Shazly, was executed. He was arrested in 2021 in Saudi territorial waters and said he had been coerced into smuggling drugs.

Reprieve says 96 of the executions were solely linked to hashish.

“It almost seems that it doesn’t matter to them who they execute, as long as they send a message to society that there’s a zero-tolerance policy on whatever issue they’re talking about – whether it’s protests, freedom of expression, or drugs,” said Ms Basyouni.

There has been a surge of drug-related executions since the Saudi authorities ended an unofficial moratorium in late 2022 – a step described as “deeply regrettable” by the UN human rights office.

Speaking anonymously to the BBC, relatives of men on death row on drugs charges have spoken of the “terror” they’re now living in.

One told the BBC: “The only time of the week that I sleep is on Friday and Saturday because there are no executions on those days.”

Cellmates witness people they have shared prison life with for years being dragged kicking and screaming to their death, according to Reprieve.

Reuters Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia attends the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington DC, (19 November 2025) — *Prince Mohammed bin Salman has loosened social restrictions while simultaneously silencing criticism [BBC]*

The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman – who became crown prince in 2017 – has changed the country profoundly over the past few years, loosening social restrictions while simultaneously silencing criticism.

In a bid to diversify its economy away from oil, he has opened Saudi Arabia up to the outside world, taken the religious police off the streets, and allowed women to drive.

But the kingdom’s human rights record remains “abysmal”, according to the US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch, with the high level of executions a major concern. In recent years, only China and Iran have put more people to death, according to human rights activists.

“There’s been no cost for Mohammed bin Salman and his authorities for going ahead with these executions,” said Joey Shea, who researches Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch. “The entertainment events, the sporting events, all of it is continuing to happen with no repercussions, really.”

According to Reprieve, the families of those executed are usually not informed in advance, or given the body, or informed where they have been buried.

The Saudi authorities do not reveal the method of execution, although it is believed to be either beheading or firing squad.

In a statement sent to the BBC, the UN’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Dr Morris Tidball-Binz, called for an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia with a view to abolition,.

He also pressed for “full compliance with international safeguards (including effective legal assistance and consular access for foreign nationals), prompt notification of families, the return of remains without delay and the publication of comprehensive execution data to enable independent scrutiny”.

Amnesty International Abdullah al-Derazi (L) and Jalal al-Labbad (R) — *Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad were executed in October and August respectively after being convicted of crimes they allegedly committed as minors [BBC]*

Among the Saudi nationals executed this year were Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad, who were both minors at the time of their arrest.

They had protested against the government’s treatment of the Shia Muslim minority in 2011 and 2012, and participated in the funerals of people killed by security forces. They were convicted of terrorism-related charges and sentenced to death after what Amnesty International said were grossly unfair trials that relied on torture-tainted “confessions”. UN human rights experts had called for their release.

The UN also condemned the execution in June of journalist Turki al-Jasser, who had been arrested in 2018 and sentenced to death on charges of terrorism and high treason based on writings he was accused of authoring.

“Capital punishment against journalists is a chilling attack on freedom of expression and press freedom,” Unesco’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, said.

Reporters Without Borders said he was the first journalist to be executed in Saudi Arabia since Mohammed bin Salman came to power, although another journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was murdered by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Human Rights Watch Turki al-Jasser — *Journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed in June after seven years in detention [BBC]*

Last December, UN experts wrote to the Saudi authorities to express concern over a group of 32 Egyptians and one Jordanian national sentenced to death on drugs charges, and their “alleged absence of legal representation”. Since then, most of the group have been executed.

A relative of one man put to death earlier this year said he had told her that people were being “taken like goats” to be killed.

The BBC has approached the Saudi authorities for a response to the allegations but has not received one.

But in a letter dated January 2025 – in reply to concerns raised by UN special rapporteurs – they said Saudi Arabia “protects and upholds” human rights and that its laws “prohibit and punish torture”.

“The death penalty is imposed only for the most serious crimes and in extremely limited circumstances,” the letter stated. “It is not handed down or carried out until judicial proceedings in courts of all levels have been completed.”

[BBC]

Foreign News

US to host Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian officials for Gaza ceasefire talks

Published

2 days ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

People gather during a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that was partially destroyed during Israel's genocidal war and collapsed on Tuesday, at the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, on December 16, 2025 [Aljazeera]

The United States Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will hold talks in Miami, Florida, with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye as efforts continue to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly violates the truce on the ground.

A White House official told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff is set to meet representatives from the three countries to discuss the future of the agreement aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Axios separately reported that the meeting, scheduled for today [Friday], will include Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

At the same time, Israel’s public broadcaster, quoting an Israeli official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a restricted security consultation to examine the second phase of the ceasefire and potential scenarios.

That official warned that Israel could launch a new military campaign to disarm Hamas if US President Donald Trump were to disengage from the Gaza process, while acknowledging that such a move was unlikely because Trump wants to preserve calm in the enclave.

Children run in the rain past a tent camp in Gaza City, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun) — Children run in the rain past a tent camp in Gaza City, Monday, December 15, 2025 [File: Aljazeera]

Despite Washington’s insistence that the ceasefire remains intact, Israeli attacks have continued almost uninterrupted, as it continues to renege on the terms of the first phase and blocks the free flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

[Aljazeera]

Foreign News

Ex-Nascar driver and his family among seven killed in US plane crash

Published

3 days ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

[pic BBC]

A former Nascar driver and his family were among the seven people killed in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, the car-racing organisation has said.

A highway patrol spokesman said people on the ground confirmed that Greg Biffle was among those who boarded the plane.

The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), officials investigating the incident told reporters.

“Greg was more than a champion driver, he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many,” Nascar said in a statement where it confirmed Biffle had died along with his wife, daughter, son, and three others.

WSOC via AP This screengrab made from video provided by WSOC shows firefighting crews responding to a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., erupting in a large fire, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.

“His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport,” the company added.

Beyond the racetrack, Biffle was remembered for helping in North Carolina in the aftermath of last year’s Hurricane Helene, when he used his personal helicopter to rescue stranded residents and deliver supplies.

Tributes to the former racer poured in on Thursday.

“Heartbreaking news out of Statesville,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein posted on X. “Beyond his success as a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle lived a life of courage and compassion and stepped up for western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.”

Motorsport YouTuber Garrett Mitchell wrote on Facebook that Biffle and his family were on their way to spend the afternoon with him.

“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”

Statesville Airport Director John Ferguson described the aircraft as a corporate jet and said it was already engulfed in flames when he arrived on the scene.

The Cessna C550 aircraft is owned by a private company associated with Biffle, CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported.

The jet took off around 10:06 local time and was in the air briefly before it crashed on the east end of the runway.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

Statesville Airport will remain closed until further notice as crews clear debris off the runway, Mr Ferguson told reporters.

Officials did not provide any information about deaths or people aboard the aircraft during their first media conference.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation has sent in a team to investigate the fatal crash.

The Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) is owned by the City of Statesville, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte.

It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several Nascar racing teams.

[BBC]