Drug smuggling query in beauty spot body mystery

Search operations were carried out at Slieve League before the body was found

Officers from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) are helping determine if a body found off the coast of County Donegal is that of a man due to go on trial over a multi-million pound drug seizure.

The body was found in the water at the foot of the Slieve League cliffs on Monday.

The NCA said it is working with gardaí (Irish police) “to ascertain” if the body is that of Robert Wilkin.

Mr Wilkin, from Northern Ireland, was arrested in August 2021 after £5.7m of cocaine and heroin were discovered in his lorry at the Coquelles Channel Tunnel terminal.

At the time, the NCA said Mr Wilkin’s Polish registered truck was carrying a legitimate load of Belgian chocolates and had been bound for Kent.

It said border force officials discovered 63kg of heroin and 32kg of cocaine hidden in two pallets of chocolates.

On Wednesday, a NCA spokesperson said Mr Wilkin had been charged, bailed and had been due to stand trial in October.

Appeal

“We are working with the Irish police to ascertain whether it is the same person,” the spokesperson said.

"We are aware some Irish media outlets are reporting that a man of the same name and age has been found dead in Donegal."

On Tuesday, officers said they would not be releasing the results of a post-mortem examination for "operational reasons".

The Slieve League cliffs were closed for much of last week as gardaí investigated an alleged assault in the area between 24 and 25 June.

Two people arrested in relation to the incident - a man in his 30s, and a woman in her 20s - were released on Tuesday evening without charge.

Police said an incident room had been set up at Ballyshannon Garda Station.

They appealed for dash-cam footage and information from anyone who noticed anything that drew their attention in the areas of Slieve League and Killybegs between the afternoon of 24 June and the evening of 25 June.