Owen says she was not involved in importation of 13 tons of cannabis

The Minister for Justice, Ms Owen, has said that she was not involved in the importation of £130 million worth of drugs into the State last November.

The Minister told the Dail that the importation of the cannabis seized at Urlingford, Co Kilkenny, in November "was an operational decision and did not involve any politicians. The implementation of any Garda operation is a matter which is the responsibility of the relevant senior gardai involved in any operation."

She later sought to clarify her remarks. Reporters in Leinster House were told that the Minister had not meant to admit that the drugs had been imported as part of a Garda "sting" operation.

The Minister also made it clear that the taxpayer had not paid for the drugs.

The 13 tonnes of cannabis were left in lorry container on the side of the road at Urlingford. There the gardai made what appeared at the time to be the biggest drugs seizure in the State's history.

However, a political argument has arisen over the operation with the Progressive Democrats TD, Ms Liz O'Donnell, asking if the importing of the drugs had been organised by the Garda and if it had ministerial authorisation.

The Minister told the Dail yesterday that "in an operational matter, the question of ministerial authority does not arise".

At the time of the "discovery" of the cannabis in the lorry, the Minister hailed the operation as a "good example of co operation in the fight against drugs" by the Garda, Customs and Naval Service.

Bout yesterday the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, Mr Cathal MacDomhnaill, told a Dail committee that the Customs had no involvement with the drugs until after they had been parked at Urlingford. He said a Customs officer "arrived on the scene after the media".

Regarding allegations that a "leak" from a Customs officers jeopardised the Garda operation, Mr MacDomhnaill told the Committee of Public Accounts that he had spoken to the Secretary of the Department of Justice on the issue, and he understood that the Garda Commissioner did not believe there had been such a leak.