Yacht Held at Port After Record Drug Haul

A yacht once registered in Britain was being forensically examined at an Irish port yesterday after the discovery of over £400m worth of cocaine - the biggest drug haul in Ireland's history. A British man was among three people aged between 44 and 52 being questioned last night after an operation involving Ireland's naval, customs and police services.

The yacht, Dancing With Waves, was escorted into Castletownbere harbor, Co Cork, around 10am yesterday with 75 bales of concealed cocaine on board. Ireland has become a favored drop-off point in international drug smuggling routes from South America and west Africa to Britain and Europe.

Local fishermen said they were not surprised by the haul. Sean O'Driscoll said his trawler had twice caught bales of drugs lying on the seabed. The seizure was the result of an operation over a number of weeks. The tracking and boarding of the vessel was controlled from the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center in Portugal.