P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Defence the agencies other than the Naval Service that assisted an officer of the Naval Service (details supplied) in calculating the movements and journey of a yacht (details supplied); the number of man hours involved in calculating this journey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42730/08]

P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will make a detailed statement on the tracking of a yacht (details supplied) that he referred to on a radio show on 6 November 2008; when he first became aware that this yacht had been tracked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42729/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 134 together.

After the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine at Dunlough Bay in July 2007 the Naval Member of the Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction was asked to assist the Garda Síochána in the maritime phase of their investigations. He completed a survey on the RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) used in the attempted importation of the drugs and in the course of his investigations was able to trace the RHIB ownership to an individual with an address in Capetown and also the company which sold the RHIB. He plotted co-ordinates from 3 satellite phones on Admiralty Charts which helped to prove the connection between Colombia, a yacht, "Lucky Day", which transported the drugs across the Atlantic from Trinidad and Tobago and the RHIB which was used to offload the drugs from the "Lucky Day" and transport them to Irish shores. The coordinates from the phones which were plotted on admiralty charts gave a historic view of the passage of the drugs across the Atlantic.

He further downloaded navigational information from equipment confiscated from the RHIB and from the "Lucky Day" which helped piece together the case in respect of the movements of the vessels at sea. It is estimated that approximately four months was dedicated solely to the task of establishing the movement of the yacht. On the 6th November 2008 I gave a radio interview in which I indicated that the passage of the yacht "Lucky Day" had been tracked prior to the capture of its illicit cargo off the south west coast in July 2007. As was detailed at the trial of those charged in relation to that capture, the route of the yacht "Lucky Day" was established in the course of the preparation of the prosecution. I may not have clearly conveyed the retrospective nature of this tracking exercise and I am happy to now clarify and detail the work of the Naval Service in this regard.

The Maritime Analysis Operations Centre (Narcotics) (MAOC(N)) based in Lisbon is designed to tackle smugglers bringing drugs into Europe from Latin America and West Africa. It is operated by seven countries namely, Ireland, the UK, Portugal, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. MAOC(N) opened in Lisbon on the 25th July 2007 and the official inauguration was held on the 30th September 2007. The seven countries concerned began informal cooperation on the issue in April 2007. I wish to acknowledge the huge contribution made by members of the Naval Service, an Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and the Irish Coast Guard in capturing all evidence which ensured a conviction against those charged with the possession of the drugs concerned.