54kg heroin haul is biggest drug find by Garda

Gardaí have said the drugs find in west Dublin on Tuesday was the largest heroin haul ever made in the history of the State. Some 54kg (120lbs) of heroin were recovered by gardaí at an apartment in Aras na Cluaine, a new development off the Nangor Road, in Clondalkin, shortly after 8pm on Tuesday.

Gardaí have estimated it was worth almost €11 million. Eighty shrink-wrapped packs of herbal cannabis were also seized - which could bring the value of the haul up to € 15 million, gardaí have said.

A machine gun, ammunition and drug-mixing agents were also recovered.

Three cars parked in the vicinity of the apartment were searched and brought back to Garda headquarters for forensic examination.

Two men, one a known drug dealer, escaped from the apartment. Gardaí have said they are confident they know who they are dealing with.

On Tuesday evening, members of Operation Anvil, based at Pearse Street Garda station in the south central division, received information about drugs in Clondalkin.

Assisted by local detectives, the unarmed officers raided the two-bedroomed apartment and found drugs and ammunition in almost every room.

The haul included a Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine gun with a silencer, a weapon used by police in Northern Ireland and Britain.

There were also a couple of thousand rounds of ammunition for various weapons and magazines for block machine pistols. There was some evidence the drugs were in the process of being mixed for distribution.

Two men jumped from the balcony on the second floor and escaped before they could be apprehended by gardaí. One is believed to be a well-known drug dealer from Ballyfermot and was thought to be armed.

Last night, the drugs, weapon and ammunition were removed to Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park for further technical examination.

Gardaí from the technical bureau were also continuing to examine the scene and were stopping and questioning residents going in and out of the apartment complex.

Det Supt Patrick J Browne, who is leading the investigation, said they were confident they knew who the two men were, and airports and ports had been put on alert for them.

He said the find was hugely significant and would put a serious dent in the operations of the gang that brought the drugs into the country.

He also said the gang was very dangerous and there was a possibility of recriminations following the find. "Any people who have possession of machine guns and that amount of drugs are dangerous people," he said. "We would love the people of Ireland to come and tell the gardaí if they have any suspicions about anybody."

He said he did not know how long the drugs might have been in the country and could not discuss the distribution chain for which he believed they were destined.