Gardaí seize €1.2m worth of cocaine in ‘significant’ operation

Cocaine with an estimated street value of €1.2 million has been seized and one man arrested after gardaí intercepted two vehicles in northwest Dublin and carried out a series of follow-up searches.

The significant operation was carried out by gardaí in the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, with the support of the Emergency Response Unit.

Acting on intelligence on Monday, gardaí intercepted two cars in The Ward, northwest Dublin, near the Co Meath border, where they seized an estimated €1.2 million worth of cocaine.

Follow-up searches targeting the suspected organised crime group were carried out at six homes and three business premises, as well as lands at two different locations in The Ward.

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A further €350,000 and £28,000 sterling in cash was found during these searches, along with other items of interest such as financial documents, electronic devices, and a money counter and vacuum-packing machine, suspected of being used in the sale and supply of drugs.

One man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of committing organised crime offences under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. He is being held for questioning in a Garda station in Co Meath.

Assistant Garda Commissioner of Organised and Serious Crime, Justin Kelly, said the operation had “prevented a significant amount of cocaine making it on to our streets for supply.

“Seizing this huge sum of cash is a significant blow for this organised crime group and demonstrates our strategy to dismantle such groups and deprive them of their illicit profits,” he said.

The profits from the sale of the drugs “would have been reinvested, not only in further drugs supply, but also to fuel other forms of violence and harm”, he said.

The Defence Forces and officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau also assisted in the operation.