GARDAÍ WERE last night questioning five men in Dublin and Cork following the seizure of a substantial quantity of cocaine with a street value of €10 million or more at a remote lock-up in Co Cork.
Gardaí raided the premises near Bartlemy outside Fermoy in north Cork at about 4pm yesterday as two of the men were unpacking the consignment of cocaine hidden in tinned fruit imported from the Netherlands.
The seizure was the result of a joint operation between the Garda National Drugs Unit and Customs with co-operation from Europol, Interpol and Dutch law enforcement agencies who carried out intelligence gathering on an international drug smuggling gang.
Gardaí arrested a 45-year-old man from north Cork and a 56-year-old German at the scene. They also arrested a 46-year-old Hungarian man in a follow-up operation at Tivoli on the eastern side of Cork city. All three were held under drug trafficking legislation.
Gardaí also arrested a father and son in Crumlin, aged 65 and 42 – both members of a well-known heroin-dealing family in Dublin. They have international drug-trafficking links.
The father and son were last night being questioned at Crumlin and Terenure Garda stations while the two men arrested at the scene in Bartlemy were being questioned at Cobh Garda station. The Hungarian man was taken to Midleton Garda station for questioning.
According to informed sources, the drugs came into the country in a consignment of tinned fruit stacked on pallets that arrived in a container at Cork Port from Rotterdam in the last number of weeks. It is believed the drugs originated in South America.
While the 70kg consignment has a conservative value of €5.5 million, it is believed the cocaine is of particularly high purity level and the street value may have exceeded €10 million.
The drugs were taken to a secure location last night where they were kept under armed guard but it is expected the drugs will be transferred to Dublin today to be analysed at the State Laboratory to establish the level of purity.
According to one Garda source, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has made the disruption of international drug smuggling operations into Ireland a priority and the seizure reflects his determination to dismantle such operations.
The seizure is the biggest in recent years and marks a significant success for the Garda and Customs. However, if the value of the drugs does exceed €10 million as expected, it will still pale beside the two biggest-ever drug seizures in the State. In July 2007, 1.5 tonnes of cocaine worth €440 million were recovered when a rib carrying the drugs overturned in Dunlough Bay near Mizen Head.
In November 2008, a smuggling operation was foiled when a yacht carrying 1.7 million tonnes of cocaine worth €400 million off the west Cork coast was apprehended.
€440,000: TALLAGHT DRUGS HAUL
GARDAÍ IN Dublin seized prescription drugs with an estimated street value of €440,000 yesterday. Following an intelligence-led investigation, the Garda National Drugs Unit assisted the Tallaght Detective Unit stopped a van on the Blessington Road at 2.15pm.
A 42-year-old Dublin man is being detained at Tallaght Garda station.