GARDAÍ DISCOVERED cannabis-growing houses in three counties and seized cannabis plants and herbs valued at more than €1.5 million at the weekend.
One of the crops was among the largest gardaí have ever found.
The grow houses, all described as sophisticated operations, were discovered in counties Tipperary, Mayo and Westmeath.
The biggest find was made in Co Tipperary, where more than 1,500 cannabis plants were discovered.
A quantity of cannabis herb – dried cannabis plants prepared for smoking – was also found.
The haul has an estimated street valued of €900,000.
The find was made in premises on Main Street in the village of Borrisokane on Saturday morning during a planned Garda search.
Rows of plants were found growing in rooms that had been carefully converted for the purpose.
High wattage lights had been installed to create the bright light and heat needed to grow the plants.
The crop was being fed by a network of tubes pumping water and plant feed into hundreds of plant pots.
The gang behind the operation had installed a ventilation system to remove the pungent smell caused when cannabis is cultivated in an intense growing environment.
The gang set aside parts of the premises as potting and incubation rooms to bring on saplings cut from a maturing crop.
In an unrelated operation, 1,000 cannabis plants were found growing in premises on The Square, Swinford, Co Mayo, on Friday night.
The plants, with an estimated street value of about €400,000, were found in several rooms throughout the property.
The building had been fitted out with advanced growing equipment.
The intelligence-led search operation involved gardaí from Claremorris and Swinford aided by the armed Regional Support Unit. Another similar growing operation was found in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, also on Friday. The premises raided had been converted into what gardaí described as a “cannabis factory” capable of growing a large number of cannabis plants.
The value of the plants seized is believed to run into several hundred thousand euro.
No arrests were made in any of the search operations but investigations are continuing.