Gardaí in Dublin seized heroin and cannabis resin with a potential street value of €6.6 million in two major operations in the Clontarf and Tallaght areas of Dublin yesterday evening, Conor Lally, Crime correspondent, and John Downes report.
Five men and one woman remained in custody in Garda stations in the city last night following the seizures - 26 kgs of heroin in Tallaght and 180 kgs of cannabis resin in Clontarf.
The heroin, with a potential street value of €5.2 million, was discovered during a search of a house on Colberts Fort Road. Officers from the Tallaght district drugs unit swooped on the residence at approximately 7pm.
Two men aged 22 and 29 and a woman aged 20 were arrested and were last night being held at Tallaght Garda station. Depending on the results of forensic tests on the substance, it may have a potential street value of €5.2 million, a Garda spokesman said.
Gardaí were last night also questioning three men who were arrested following the seizure of 180 kgs of cannabis resin in Clontarf, Dublin, at about 5pm yesterday.
Gardai are awaiting the outcome of forensic tests on the substance, which it is thought may have a potential street value of €1.4 million. Officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Clontarf drugs unit raided the residence at Clontarf Bay and arrested three men at the scene.
Two of the men are brothers and are part of a gang which has been operating for some time on the north side of Dublin. One man was being held at Raheny Garda station, while two others were being held at Clontarf Garda station.
All three arrested in Tallaght are from west Dublin and are being detained under the provisions of Section 2, of the Criminal Justice Act.
Last week, 3kgs of heroin was discovered by gardai in Ballyfermot. This brings the total amount of heroin seized to date this year to 29 kgs.
A record €25.6 million worth of heroin was also discovered last year, with Garda figures showing that the value of heroin seized last year was almost four times that in 2005. Heroin also accounted for the three most valuable drugs hauls reported last year.
The most valuable find, worth €11 million, was recovered in October in an apartment at Ard na Cluaine, Nangor Road, Clondalkin, south Dublin. It weighed 54kgs and was the largest haul ever made in the State. The find also included a sub-machine gun and ammunition. Eighty shrink-wrapped packs of herbal cannabis, worth €4 million, were also recovered.
Meanwhile, five people were being held in Pearse Street Garda station in connection with a seizure of an estimated €20,000 worth of cocaine at an apartment in the area yesterday evening.