Ireland has become a key hub for South American cartels transporting cocaine to Europe
Gardaí will to strengthen operational ties with Colombian police as part of an intensified strategy to target gangs trafficking cocaine into Europe.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan is expected to seek government approval today for An Garda Síochána to enter into a new memorandum of understanding with Colombia’s National Police.
The move is aimed at increasing the exchange of intelligence on transnational gangs between both police forces, while also sharing technologies and methods to target serious crime and terrorism.
Ireland has become a key transit hub for crime groups transporting cocaine from South America to Europe through maritime routes, with Irish criminals involved in facilitating the network here, even if the drugs are not ultimately destined for the Irish market.
“High-level” Irish criminals have travelled to South America
Sources have said that in recent years, Irish gangs have forged “more direct links” with drug cartels, with “high-level” Irish criminals travelling to South America to directly organise drug shipments.
Under the proposed agreement between gardaí and the Colombian police, senior detectives from both countries would be appointed to liaise directly on intelligence and operational matters.
The protocol is also expected to allow for joint enforcement actions targeting organised crime networks, including drug trafficking and terrorism financing.
While the memorandum of understanding would not be legally binding, it would be based on mutual co-operation and is expected to initially operate for five years.
A garda liaison officer based out of the Irish embassy in Bogota will also form a key aspect of the agreement.
The move follows the introduction of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which requires government approval before gardaí can enter formal agreements with foreign law-enforcement agencies.
Mr O’Callaghan is expected to tell the Cabinet today that Ireland is strongly reliant on international co-operation to successfully target an array of threats from transnational crime and terrorism.
The minister will also inform his colleagues that a new memorandum of understanding between An Garda Síochána and the Colombian National Police would be beneficial and strengthen co-operation between both police agencies.
In 2020, the Government sanctioned the roll-out of a three-year expansion plan for the garda liaison network to increase the global footprint of An Garda Síochána in line with best international practice on combating transnational crime.
This saw garda liaison posts created in Washington DC and Bogota, with the authority and responsibility to liaise with local law enforcement of the countries in which they are based.
The most recent high-profile example of Irish crime groups operating with South American cartels came in 2023, when €157m of cocaine was seized on board the MV Matthew off the Cork coast.
The 2.2-tonne drug haul had been supplied by the Colombian Clan del Golfo cartel, with the Kinahan organised crime group also heavily involved in facilitating the shipment.
The shipment was intercepted that September following a joint operation involving gardaí, the Defence Forces and Revenue, along with assistance from Interpol and Europol.