Operation Seabight
Operation Seabight was a multinational law enforcement operation carried out on 6–7 November 2008 in the Porcupine Seabight, off Ireland’s southwest coast. Led by the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) and supported by the Irish Naval Service and Gardaí, it involved personnel from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France and Italy.
The operation tracked and intercepted a 60-foot yacht, Dances with Waves, which had more than seventy bales of cocaine on board. The seizure, worth up to €750 million, took place as the yacht sailed from Trinidad across the Atlantic. It was brought to Castletownbere Harbour in West Cork, where Gardaí removed the bales for forensic testing. The mission occurred under difficult sea conditions, with swells of about 7 metres.
Three British men were arrested: Philip Doo (49), David Mufford (40) and Christopher Wiggins (42). They were charged with possessing cocaine knowing it was to be imported into a country other than Ireland, and appeared in Clonakilty District Court on 8 November 2008. They were remanded in custody.
On 8 May 2009, all three were convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison each. The Seabight seizure was, at the time, one of the largest cocaine discoveries in Europe and the largest in Irish history, though later found to be the second-largest haul in Ireland. Initial tests indicated the cocaine was about 80% pure.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:56 (CET).