A former London detective who was “pivotal” to the success of a plot to smuggle cocaine worth €229 million into Britain via Ireland was jailed for 22 years today.
Michael Daly, who is already serving eight years behind bars for a similar conspiracy, was “driven by greed”, police said.
Judge Henry Blacksell sentenced Daly when he appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court in London.
Daly’s co-conspirator, former firefighter Alan Wells, was jailed for 15 years.
Daly used skills and knowledge gained as a Metropolitan Police drug squad detective to try to smuggle 62 bales - more than 1,500kg (3,300lb) of cocaine into Dunlough Bay, Co Cork.
But Daly and the gang were foiled when their boat ran out of fuel in rough seas and was shipwrecked off the coast on July 2nd, 2007.
Daly (49), who is already serving eight years behind bars over another failed drug smuggling operation, and former firefighter Wells (57), of Blenheim Road, Sidcup, south east London, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Daly was pivotal to the plot’s success and was due to share in the huge profits, police said. He was in overall charge of the logistics and also possessed local knowledge to plan the operation as his family lived on the south coast of Ireland.
Wells admitted being paid £100,000 for his role in helping Daly to organise the logistics.
The seizure is the largest single haul ever in the UK and Ireland.