Three men released after no drug traces found on yacht impounded in Cork
Three men who were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking off the Kerry coast were released without charge by gardaí last night.
The three men, two Irish nationals from Co Louth and a Czech national, all aged in their 30s, had been arrested on suspicion of drugs trafficking on Thursday morning after the Naval Service detained their yacht.
The boat, which had sailed from the Azores and was en route to Dingle, was detained off the Skellig Rocks and brought into Kinsale Harbour where customs officers began a detailed search.
It was lifted from the water at Kinsale Boatyard on Friday and customs search teams opened up sections of the hull but found no traces of drugs on board.
Meanwhile gardaí, who were questioning the three men at Bandon garda station, opted not to extend their detention under drug trafficking legislation and released them without charge.
The seizure of the yacht and the arrest of the men was a multi-agency operation involving the Naval Service, Customs and gardaí from a number of specialist units, as well as local officers in West Cork.
