International drug cartels are increasingly using Northern Ireland as a route to move cocaine and other drugs into the United Kingdom and mainland Europe, the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's organised crime branch said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Neill told BBC Spotlight the trend was contributing to a marked rise in drug seizures in Northern Ireland, where police have seized more than £13 million worth of illicit drugs so far this year. Seizure figures show an increase of roughly 130% each year since 2022, the PSNI said, and authorities warned that the true volume of imports is likely higher than what is being intercepted.
Police and national agencies have investigated several high-profile seizures that illustrate the evolving routes and methods used by organised crime groups. In May, a joint operation by the National Crime Agency and Border Force uncovered 185 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the floor of a lorry container at Belfast Port. The shipment, believed to have come via Dublin from mainland Europe and destined for Scotland, carried an estimated street value of £18.5 million and was described as the largest single cocaine seizure on record in Northern Ireland.
Authorities have also examined links between transatlantic shipments and Irish ports. A 2023 seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine aboard the MV Matthew off the Irish coast resulted in eight men being jailed and the confiscation being valued at about €157 million (roughly £135 million). Officials said the cargo was likely destined for mainland Europe or Great Britain; police assessment suggested that, if bound for Britain, the consignment would probably have been moved through Northern Ireland and across the Irish Sea.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neill said organised criminal groups exploit the island's interconnectivity and trade arrangements. "Borders are not prohibitive for them at all. They will exploit any vulnerability," she said. "We would assess that the border does not present any challenges for organised crime groups and the interconnectivity throughout the island of Ireland is clear." She added that while police were seizing more drugs than ever, increased freight movements and the sophistication of smuggling networks made it difficult to detect all illicit imports.
European port security pressure and maritime tactics have reshaped trafficking patterns, investigators said. Much of the cocaine reaching the UK and Ireland is shipped from South America to large European ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp, where security has tightened. Criminal networks have responded by using more direct coastal routes into Britain and Ireland and by transferring consignments at sea: drugs are dropped from larger vessels to smaller, faster craft that bring them ashore.
The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC), which monitors transatlantic drug trafficking, said around 100 ships suspected of trafficking drugs to Europe were not stopped last year because authorities lacked sufficient vessels to intercept them. In addition, Irish authorities have acknowledged capacity constraints in maritime patrols. The Irish Naval Service is responsible for about 132,000 square kilometres of water, and officials have in recent years sometimes had only one or two ships available at sea.
Since 2023, An Garda Síochána has uncovered multiple attempts to traffic large quantities of cocaine into and through Ireland, and the Irish government says it maintains a continuous presence in its maritime domain. Dublin announced a planned increase in defence spending of €600 million, a 55% rise intended in part to strengthen naval resources and stabilise the Naval Service's personnel levels.
Police in Northern Ireland say organised crime groups use legitimate freight movements and logistics expertise to conceal and move illegal consignments. The PSNI says it monitors up to 50 organised crime groups at any given time in relation to smuggling and drug supply activities. Those groups vary in sophistication from street-level dealers to networks capable of organising large-scale international importations.
The National Crime Agency estimates the United Kingdom consumes about 117 tonnes of cocaine annually, making it the largest market in Europe. Neill urged a multi-agency approach to the problem, saying enforcement alone would not solve the issue. "We cannot arrest our way and seize our way out of this," she said. "Our community needs to understand the risks that they're putting themselves at. We have a significant drug-related death issue here in Northern Ireland."
Police and national agencies have called for increased resources, greater maritime capacity and enhanced international cooperation to combat the changing tactics of organised crime. While major interceptions demonstrate the effectiveness of co-ordinated operations, officials cautioned that the scale and adaptability of trafficking networks require sustained, cross-border responses and investment in detection and prevention measures.
Investigations into recent major seizures are ongoing and have led to prosecutions in several cases. Authorities said they will continue to prioritise joint operations with UK and Irish partners, Border Force and European agencies to disrupt supply chains and identify the criminal networks behind the trafficking.
The trend of using Northern Ireland as a transhipment point underscores broader shifts in organised crime logistics, and police warned that continued vigilance is needed to protect communities across the island and the wider United Kingdom and European markets.