Cocaine shipment worth €105 million seized at Limerick port, crew member pleads guilty

A shipment of cocaine worth €21 million was found hidden on the MV Verila at Foynes Port, Co Limerick, on December 19, 2023. The cocaine, totaling 308.6 kg, has an estimated street value of €105 million. Kamen Petkov, a 36-year-old crew member, pleaded guilty to drug charges. He was tasked with managing the cocaine shipment from Brazil and was to dispose of it in the Shannon Estuary before docking. Petkov's DNA was linked to a transmitter attached to the bales. He claimed this was his first involvement in drugs and cited a gambling addiction as a factor in his actions. He remains in custody, awaiting sentencing.