Revenue's Customs and Excise Service has seized its biggest ever heroin haul during an operation at Dublin Port. The shipment found yesterday in two antique ranges also contained a smaller amount of cocaine.
The two ranges had arrived in container freight on board a ship from the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
Customs officers handling a sniffer dog called Lulu were conducting a routine check on freight when the dog alerted them to the presence of the drugs.
When the haul was discovered, initial tests revealed it was cocaine.
However, further analysis established that most of the packets contained heroin.
A total of 10 blocks of heroin weighing 12kgs were discovered. Depending on purity, the haul has a street value of around €2.4 million.
Two further blocks weighing 2.5kgs combined were found to contain cocaine and have an estimated street value totalling €175,000.
Head of customs at Dublin Port Rory O'Connor said when the heroin was uncovered he and his colleagues knew the haul was valued at substantially more than their first estimates. "We knew we had a major seizure of heroin on our hands."
The dog that found the drugs is one of three sniffer dogs based in Dublin Port.
The seizure is the latest in a number of substantial drug seizures made recently by the Customs and Excise Service. The total value of drugs seized in the past month has now reached €17.2 million.
Cannabis valued at €13 million was seized on August 8th after it arrived on a ship from South Africa. Two days later cocaine valued at €200,000 was found at Dublin airport in freight from West Africa.
On August 16th, herbal cannabis valued at €400,000 was seized after it arrived in Cork hidden in a suite of furniture from South Africa.
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