State allowed to dispose of MV Matthew after cocaine haul

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The State was allowed to dispose of the MV Matthew after a Special Criminal Court order made at a hearing on 2 December 2024, concerning the ship’s alleged use in a cocaine haul.

The vessel was seized in Irish waters in September 2023, when 2.2 tonnes of cocaine were recovered. The State had maintained the ship to give defence legal teams access for inspection, at a reported cost of €100,000 a week.

The judge ordered that the State no longer had to make the ship available for inspection. The order was stayed for two weeks, while the State could begin the disposal process immediately; defence teams did not object, though they could raise issues at a later court mention.