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COASTAL WATCH – A Multi Agency Initiative for the prevention and detection of illegal drug importation.

An Garda Síochána in the West Cork Division are hosting a Seminar in Kinsale today, Wednesday 17th April, 2019 involving input from Revenue’s Customs Service and the Irish Naval Service. This multi-agency initiative for the prevention and detection of illegal drug importation promotes vigilance from coastal communities in West Cork and a range of organisations and agencies that operate at sea and along the coast.

Around 150 invited attendees received presentations from An Garda Síochána, Revenue’s Customs Service and the Irish Naval Service in relation to each agency’s role and the complementary relationship that exists between all agencies in the fight against drug smuggling in the maritime domain. Attendees received information about risk indicators and previous case studies of successful drug interdictions, where information received from the public was critical to stopping drugs reaching vulnerable communities.

Speaking today Chief Superintendent Con Cadogan said, “The purpose of the seminar today was to focus the attention of the statutory and voluntary organizations along with farming groups, coastal communities, commercial and fishing industry and all those who use our seas for business and pleasure purposes on how they can assist the statutory agencies in “Keeping Drugs at Bay”. With a multi-disciplinary approach by everybody who attended todays seminar, it will mean a formidable force in ensuring that our coastline
is not used for drug importation, or if it is that there are many eyes that will report unusual activity along our coastline. While Coastal Watch has been in existence over 30 years, it has proven to be a success, however personnel in organisations change, landowners near coastline change and communities change with passage of time, therefore today was about re-energising Coastal Watch in Cork West Garda Division and ensuring that Coastal Watch is a success”.

Some of the risk indicators that members of the public are requested to be on the lookout for are:

• Suspicious activity in relation to persons or vehicles
• Ships and yachts sighted in remote areas
• Crew making landings in remote areas
• Unusual objects at sea or ashore
• Ships away from their normal shipping lanes
• Vessels operating at night without lights
• Packages floating in the sea, lying on the beach or hidden close to the shore.