GARDAÍ AND Customs officers investigating the activities of an eastern European drugs cartel have made the biggest seizure ever in Ireland of the highly-addictive synthetic drug crystal meth.
Some 6kg (13.2lbs) of the drug were found in an operation in Co Offaly. The drug, the official name of which is methamphetamine, has only ever been found here in very small quantities.
The discovery was made as part of Operation Chestnut which was established last year to investigate gangs from eastern Europe importing drugs into the Republic.
Members of the Garda National Drugs Unit and Revenue's Customs officers put a surveillance operation in place after two vehicles suspected of containing drugs entered the Republic via Dublin Port.
The two vehicles were driven to a yard in Birr, Co Offaly, where they were left for collection. On Tuesday, when a man entered the yard to retrieve the drugs, gardaí moved in.
The man, a 39-year-old Lithuanian national, was arrested at the scene under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act. He was taken for questioning to Tullamore Garda station.
The vehicles containing the drugs were taken from Birr to Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, for analysis.
A search of the vehicles yielded 8kg (17.63lbs) of herbal cannabis and 6kg of a substance which gardaí initially believed to be cocaine.
However, analysis of the drugs yesterday revealed that the portion of the haul believed to be cocaine was in fact crystal meth.
A senior Garda source described the find as "very significant".
"It's a drug we've been worried about for a long time because of the problems it's caused in other countries. But until now we've only ever had a few seizures and they've been very small. The biggest one anyone can remember was around 200 grammes."
Tuesday's haul is valued at up to €150,000. However, gardaí said the drug is found so infrequently here and in such small quantities that they have never established a per-kilo street value for it.
Gardaí believe the man arrested in Birr was working for a Lithuanian gang distributing drugs around Ireland.
Investigations were continuing last night, with follow-up searches in Cork and Kerry.
Garda sources said Operation Chestnut was established because of concerns that eastern European gangs, mainly Lithuanian, were importing drugs into Ireland in greater quantities than ever.
Some of the gangs have used African couriers to move drugs by air into the state from South Africa, while other consignments have come from Europe hidden in cars that travel into the Republic by car ferry.
Last autumn gardaí working under Operation Chestnut, acting on information supplied by Customs officers, made a number of arrests and seized drugs in two separate operations.
In one case a female British passport holder of Africa origin was detected carrying a suitcase containing herbal cannabis. The drugs had been flown in from South Africa via Germany.
Gardaí followed the woman to an address in west Dublin, and when she reached the house the officers move in. They found 20kg of herbal cannabis in her suitcase and found cocaine valued at around €100,000 at the house.
The British passport holder was arrested, along with a South African woman and Nigerian man.
In the other Operation Chestnut case, two Nigerians and a Lithuanian national were arrested in south Dublin as they were attempting to collect cocaine valued at €250,000.
The drugs had been sent by post to the address from Peru via Belgium.
Gardaí were tipped off after the Belgian authorities notified Customs officers here, and the drugs were allowed reach their destination by a controlled delivery.
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally.
Users feel a short yet intense "rush" when the drug is initially administered. However, a user can stay high for up to 12 hours.
The immediate effects of methamphetamine include increased activity and decreased appetite. It also lowers a user's inhibitions and greatly increases sex drive.
The drug is produced from a cocktail of chemicals in back street laboratories in the US, Eastern Europe, South East Asia and Central America.