Garda sniffer dogs searched the wooded area of Inniscarra in Co Cork yesterday in an effort to discover more drugs after cannabis resin worth £250,000 was found there on Wednesday. Gardai have praised children who were playing in the area when they came across the cannabis. The children reported the find to their parents, one of whom contacted the Garda.
The drugs squad from Cork and gardai from Blarney and Ballincollig were called in and a 24-hour surveillance operation began. At 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday the gardai were standing by when two cars arrived in the area. Three people began to examine the drugs, which had been hidden in dense gorse, and the gardai moved in. A 29-year-old man and a youth aged between 16 and 17 were apprehended. A third man fled in the darkness and is now being sought. It is understood that he is well known to gardai in Cork for his significant role in the drugs ring in the city.
The two people taken into custody were brought to Curranabraher Garda station, where they were questioned under the Drugs Trafficking Act. The Garda can hold them for up to seven days. The drugs seizure is seen as a significant boost for gardai in the city, who have had considerable success in intercepting drug dealers and handlers.
The latest seizure brings to £3 million the value of drugs intercepted in the State over the past year. Garda Supt Mick O'Loughlin and Det Supt Tim O'Callaghan said the children and their parents who brought the cannabis find to light were to be applauded. Their action was an example of how local communities could co-operate successfully with the Garda.