Gardai recover cocaine worth €1.3m

Gardaí have recovered €1.3 million worth of cocaine at an apartment in Donabate, Co Dublin, which is believed to have been used as a processing plant by a drugs gang.

Mixing agents, weighing scales and a compressor, weighing three-quarters of a tonne, were also found at the one-bedroom apartment when gardaí from Swords Garda station and the Garda National Drugs Unit raided it on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The apartment, at the new Ballisk Court development, was rented by a woman just last week. It is understood two men had occupied it since then.

Neighbours reported noise coming from the apartment at the weekend. Gardaí believe this was as a result of the compressor machine being assembled, and from drugs being mixed in liquidiser machines.

The drugs and the mixing agents, which are added to the drug to increase the quantity and value, were found hidden in the base of a bed. Smaller quantities of the drug and mixing agents were found on work surfaces in the apartment.

The occupants were not at the apartment when it was raided, and gardaí are not pursuing any definite line of inquiry as to their identity.

Gardaí believe the two men may have fled just before the raid.

The cocaine, mixing agents and compressor machinery were removed to Swords Garda station. The apartment was sealed off, and a full technical examination was carried out.

Detectives were due to interview the owner of the apartment last night, but believe it may have been rented under an assumed name. The information leading to the seizure came during a telephone call to gardaí from a member of the public.

Supt Noel McLoughlin, from Coolock Garda station, is leading the investigation. He was "delighted" that such a large quantity of cocaine had been taken out of circulation.

He said initial indications were that the seized drugs had a value of €1.3 million. However, an exact value could not be determined before the substance was tested.

In total, 19kg of cocaine was recovered, around half of which had been mixed with mixing agent and packed ready for distribution and sale.

Tuesday's find was the fourth such processing plant to be discovered by gardaí in the last 12 months where compressor equipment was being used. Similar discoveries have been made in Ranelagh, Drogheda and Naas.