Nine held in €1.2m seizure of cocaine and heroin

Gardaí were last night questioning nine people in connection with Monday's seizure in Dublin of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value in excess of €1.2 million.

During one search at a house in the west of the city gardaí were threatened by an armed man who was later overpowered as he tried to flee the scene.

Among those arrested were four Nigerian nationals, three men and a woman. They were detained for questioning in relation to the discovery of what gardaí believe was a crack cocaine manufacturing operation at a house in Phibsboro.

The premises in Phibsboro Road were raided at 11pm on Monday by gardaí from the North Central Drugs Unit, based at Store Street Garda station.

During the planned raid 900g of cocaine, packed into plastic pellets, was discovered along with 300g of crack cocaine. Other drug paraphernalia was also found at that house. The haul has an estimated street value of up to €150,000.

Detectives believe the cocaine was to be used to produce crack cocaine. The seizure was one of a small number of seizures of the drug by gardaí in recent years.

However, it is believed Monday's operation was the first time a manufacturing facility for the drug has been discovered.

Crack cocaine is produced by adding small quantities of cocaine to water. The diluted substance is heated, generally on a spoon, until the cocaine begins to crystallise.

The drug is much more addictive that cocaine and heroin. In the past decade it has become a major social problem in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in the UK.

Monday's seizure has raised fears that the drug is now becoming more popular in Ireland. Some experts working in the field of addiction have already been warned that young crack cocaine users have begun presenting for treatment for their addiction.

The four people arrested in Phibsboro were being held at Store Street Garda station under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act and can be held for up to seven days without charge.

In another operation on Monday night, gardaí were confronted by an armed man as they tried to carry out a search at a house in Clondalkin. Officers from the Tallaght Drugs Unit were about to search a premises in Greenfort Crescent when a man arrived on the scene in a car.

When armed gardaí identified themselves, the man, aged 32, produced a loaded gun. He then tried to flee the scene on foot, but was pursued by gardaí and overpowered.

A subsequent search of the premises uncovered heroin with a street value of €6,000. The drugs and the gun were taken from the scene for examination.

The armed man and a 30-year-old woman were arrested and were being questioned by gardaí at Tallaght last night under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Another 18-year-old man was also arrested. He was being questioned under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act.

Meanwhile, on Monday morning gardaí from the Santry Drugs Unit and members of Revenue's customs service seized 15kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of just over €1 million in baggage at Dublin airport.

The luggage had been on a flight from Cancun, Mexico. In a follow-up operation two women were arrested in Ballymun. They were still being questioned last night under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act.