Irish drug dealers were kept under surveillance across three countries in Europe as they sourced their drugs and travelled back home, where they were arrested by elite garda units. The operation was part on exercise organised by Europol, the EU police agency, combining surveillance and intervention in targeting drug traffickers and hybrid threat suspects. The exercise, entitled ‘Allies 2026’, involved Irish surveillance teams and specialist intervention units. “Simulating intersecting scenarios unfolding across several European countries, this exercise tested the participants’ ability to effectively fight drug trafficking and hybrid threats,” it said. The second network is the European Surveillance Group, a European Commission–funded law enforcement network dedicated to advancing covert surveillance capabilities and providing expert tactical and strategic support to its partners.

Source: Irish Examiner February 23, 2026 16:30 UTC