MULTIPLE ARRESTS HAVE been made as part of a major investigation targetting the supply of drugs into Ireland from Spain.

In a coordinated series of raids in both countries, An Garda Síochána and Guardia Civil officers arrested 12 suspects – six in Ireland and six in Spain.

The individuals arrested are suspected of involvement in large-scale drug trafficking, mainly by transporting cocaine and marijuana hidden in vehicles from Spain to Ireland, according to Europol.

It’s part of wider international efforts by police hackers to dismantle drug smuggling networks, with four organised crime groups in Ireland targetted as part of the massive global police operation last year.

Some of the seizure from the raids. Europol Europol

Last September’s operation saw cyber experts infiltrate the platform known as Ghost.

The system has been used to facilitate a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, organising murders and other forms of serious and organised crime.

It was particularly popular with international criminal groups because it claimed to have advanced security features.

Europol said that law enforcement uncovered the network’s activities, including money laundering, when it dismantled the Ghost encrypted communication platform in September 2024.

“In an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to evade detection, the criminals had relied on sophisticated encrypted communications and had fragmented their exchanges across multiple platforms,” Europol’s statement said.

“During the action day, however, investigators were able to trace several Ghost user handles back to members of the criminal network.

“This high-risk criminal network coordinated the drug trade using these sophisticated communication channels, relying on both encryption and multi-platform distribution.

“The sophistication of their communications was in stark contrast to the simplicity of their modus operandi; it consisted of smuggling cocaine and marijuana across the continent in vehicles equipped with custom-made secret compartments and cloned number plates.”

The coordinated series of raids in Ireland and Spain saw six suspects arrested in each. Europol Europol

A Garda spokesperson said that gardaí worked with a range of policing groups for this week’s raid, including the Operational Network, which is funded by the EU Commission. They were led by the Italian Antimafia Investigation Directorate (DIA).

“An Garda Síochána has also provided support to the Guardia Civil by deploying Garda officers to Spain. An Garda Síochána is aware that the Guardia Civil have arrest 6 suspects, directly connected with this international investigation,” the Garda spokesperson added.