A lorry driver has been arrested by police officers in connection with a 300kg cannabis seizure at the port in Belfast.
The drugs, which have a street value in Northern Ireland of £6 million (€6.9 million), were seized by officers attached to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which fights organised crime.
The 45-year-old driver from Portadown was detained after his lorry, which contained a consignment of soft drinks, was stopped and searched by officers on its arrival into the port earlier today. The driver remains in custody.
NCA branch commander David Cunningham said: “This is a massive haul of cannabis which would have ended up on the streets of Northern Ireland.
Five things we learned from the GAA weekend: Player and referee fitness is tested by new rules
Paddy Barrett: Blue zones, where people live to 100, are a lovely idea. It’s a shame they don’t exist
Trade tariffs, Boston and Berlin: How exposed is Ireland to the US economy?
WhatsApp groups are like Hotel California ... You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
“Losing this amount of drugs will be a huge blow to the organised crime group behind this importation.
“We will continue to work with our partners to stop illegal drugs ending up in our communities.”