Coastal watch

Coastal watch returns to prevent drug landings

Anton McNulty

GARDAÍ in Mayo are to reintroduce a coastal watch scheme in a bid to prevent the trafficking of drugs through the county’s extensive coastline.
Following the capture last month of over €100 million worth of cocaine off the Cork coast and last week’s discovery of cannabis off the Aran Islands, Mayo Gardaí are concerned about the prospect of the Mayo coastline being used for drugs purposes.
Chief Superintendent Tony McNamara (pictured) told The Mayo News that a system was in operation in the 1990s whereby fishermen and people living by the coast would notify the Gardaí of suspicious activity. He said the initiative was very successful and he felt it was time to reintroduce it.
“The coastal watch is something we are trying to revive; it was quite successful a couple of years ago. In view of what is happening down south and off the Galway coast, we are going to see if we can revamp it, and reactivate some of the schemes we had around the coast in the past. We will ask people to keep their eyes open for anything unusual out at sea by way of visitors to piers. Mayo has so many secluded harbours and we will be asking people to focus on anything suspicious and report it,” he said.
The Mayo coastline is the longest of any county in Ireland and the Gardaí patrol area runs from Killary to Easkey in Sligo. There is also a large number of inhabited and uninhabited islands off the coast as well as seclusive inlets and coves, and Gardaí are concerned about the increasing number of boats going unaccounted for off the coast.
Chief Supt McNamara said that he will soon be meeting with his Garda colleagues operating out of the three coastal districts of Westport, Belmullet and Ballina in an attempt to reinvigorate the coastal watch scheme. He added that while no recorded incident of drug trafficking has been reported, he is of no doubt the county has been used to bring drugs ashore.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if drugs have been brought ashore in Mayo, it is a huge coastline that is difficult to police,” he said