Cocaine was to be brought into Ireland

Tag : Instant Milk Powder
IT IS one of the most famous scenes in cinema history: Anup-and-coming gangster  Virgil The Turk Sollozo  is seekingprotection from five New York Mafia families so he can tradeillicit drugs on a massive scale in the inner city.

Patriarchal Don Corleone is opposed. He says that the judges,lawyers, and corrupt policemen on his payroll will shy away from adirty business. He has old world values  vice, alcohol andprotection are legitimate areas of enterprise.


But the other Mafia families have a cunning plan  they willoversee the expansion of narcotics in society ... but they willcontain them within the sections of the population where they cando the least damage. They will be kept away from schools, and notsold to children.

One of the Dons puts it thus: In my city, well keep the trafficin the dark people, the coloured. Theyre animals anyway so letthem lose their souls.

The background in Cork from the biggest drugs trial in the historyof the state revealed the worldwide network of the drug-smugglingindustry and its astonishing potential for financial gains for thecriminal classes. While four people  including a convicted Englishmurderer  were jailed, police say that at least six other peopleare wanted.

The case only came to public notice because of bad luck, orstupidity. After months of planning, spanning four continents andat least three different gangs  English, Colombian and Mexican its failure was caused by one individual who didnt know whetherthe vessel he was crewing needed diesel or petrol.

As a result the drugs ferry, brought in for the final 30 miles of a3,000 mile voyage, drifted helplessly onto rocks in Dunlough Bay,and disgorged its cargo into the Atlantic where it had to beretrieved by the diligent crews of the Baltimore and Castletownberelifeboats.

Evidence indicated that the cocaine  which at 75% purity made itamong the highest grade available  was to be brought into Irelandwhere it could be cut and then redistributed onwards to thecities of Britain: London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgowand on to Europe.

The cutting process, adulterating the purity of the drug throughthe addition of other substances, typically baking powder, talcumpowder, lactose, corn starch, vitamin C powder, baby milk powder orlocal anaesthetic, maximises the street value of the cocaine, andthe potential revenues.

Calculating from evidence provided by forensic experts, based onpurity tests drawn from samples confiscated on the streets ofDublin, it is possible to see that the value of the Dunlough Bayconsignment, far from being worth the