Up to €5m in drugs seized by Gardai

Gardaí were last night questioning seven people after two shotguns, almost €150,000 in cash, and cocaine and ecstasy worth up to €5 million were seized in three separate operations in Dublin, Kildare, Offaly and Wexford earlier this week.

Gardaí believe they have disrupted a significant cocaine import and distribution business, and that a drugs run between Holland and the Republic has also been uncovered.

Two of those in custody last night were Dutch nationals. At least two of the remaining five under arrest are very well known to gardaí for supplying drugs in Dublin and the midlands.

In an operation at Rosslare yesterday, Europort officers from Revenue's customs service found 123,000 ecstasy tablets, worth €1.23 million, concealed in the door panels of a Dutch-registered vehicle as it disembarked the ferry from Cherbourg, France, just before 1pm.

Two Dutch nationals, a man and a woman in their early 20s, who were in the car, were arrested at the scene. They were taken to Wexford Garda station where they were still being questioned last night.

The drugs were discovered expertly hidden in the door panels by the customs service sniffer dog, Dillon. The Daihatsu Charade was singled out for searching following risk profiling.

Revenue officers believe the drugs were destined for sale on the Dublin market.

Yesterday morning gardaí from the crime taskforce in Store Street Garda station raided an apartment in Tallaght, Dublin, and seized about 1.25kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of about €100,000.

A quantity of cash was also seized along with two shotguns and drug-dealing paraphernalia. One man (25) was arrested and was being questioned at Store Street Garda station last night.

The operation was part of a long-term investigation into the activities of a drugs gang operating in Tallaght and Dublin's north inner city.

The biggest of the recent operations began on Tuesday evening when members of the Garda National Drugs Unit raided a commercial premises near Maynooth, Co Kildare, which they believed was being used as a cocaine mixing centre.

Officers found one man on the premises who they believe was in the process of adding a glucose-based mixing agent to cocaine in order to increase its bulk. He was arrested.

Detectives discovered about 15kg of cocaine valued at just over €1.2 million. They also found 30kg of mixing agent. When mixed together, the agent and cocaine could have been sold on the streets for up to €3.5 million.

Gardaí found bags of cocaine in vacuum-packed bags as well as bags of cocaine which had been repacked after the mixing agent was added. They also found weighing scales, food blenders and walkie-talkies. Later, gardaí raided a house in Clondalkin and arrested three people.