Two men in their 30s have been arrested and €2.14 million in suspected illegal cannabis has been seized by gardaí targeting transnational drug trafficking networks.
The arrests were made on Wednesday during the course of “ongoing intelligence-led investigations” which resulted in €231,350 in cash also being seized.
One of the arrests was made after a vehicle was intercepted in the Finglas area of Dublin by officers attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).
A separate co-ordinated search of a residence was carried out in the Donore area of Co Meath.
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Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland, head of the GNDOCB said the “substantial” seizure of cannabis and cash “once again shows the vast profits being made by transnational organised crime groups, from casual drug use across Ireland.”
“There is a direct link between personal use drugs consumption and the violence and drug-related intimidation being experienced in communities.
“We, in An Garda Síochána, will continue to disrupt the drugs networks bringing drugs into our country and to make Ireland a hostile environment for these criminals to operate. Demand fuels supply. Please think before you use this festive period and play your part in making your community safer,” he said.
A garda spokesperson said investigations are ongoing while the seized cannabis is now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland (FSI).
The two men, both aged in their 30s, are currently being held at a Garda station in the Co Louth area pursuant to Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
The seizure forms part of Operation Tara; an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in 2021.
The aim of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute national and international drug trafficking networks, “at all levels”.
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