What really happened on board the MV Matthew?

It had all the makings of a Hollywood thriller — a dramatic high-seas chase, elite Army Rangers fast-roping onto the deck, and a massive cocaine haul hidden in plain sight. In September 2023, the seizure of the cargo ship MV Matthew led to the discovery of 2,000 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of €157 million euro.  It was the State's largest ever drug seizure.

Since that dramatic day, courtrooms have heard about encrypted phones, international smuggling routes, and plans to destroy the evidence. And now, we’re taking a step back to explain the full story.

We're joined by Niall O'Connor, News Correspondent with The Journal, who has been covering the story in detail. 

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The Explainer is a weekly podcast from The Journal that takes a deeper look at one big news story you need to know about. What's the background? Why is this in the news? Get the facts behind the story from Ireland's biggest news website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• No. of episodes: 365
• Latest episode: 2025-07-08
• News

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