A 28-YEAR-OLD-MAN is to appear before Dublin District Court this morning charged in connection with the seizure of 10kg of heroin, worth more than €2 million, and €250,000 in cash.
Another man, aged 39, appeared at a special sitting of the District Court in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, yesterday charged in connection with the same seizure.
The discovery was made by officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit, working as part of a joint investigation with Customs officials, who stopped and searched a truck and a van in Trim, Co Meath, following a surveillance operation on Saturday morning.
The heroin and cash were found in the truck, which was later taken to Dublin Port to be searched by the Revenue Customs' X-ray scanner. The men were arrested at the scene of the seizure. A 25-year-old woman was also arrested in Lucan, Co Dublin, as part of a follow-up operation. She was detained for questioning at Ronanstown Garda station but was released without charge.
Meanwhile, Customs officers at Dublin airport seized almost €1 million, which they suspect to be the proceeds of crime, in two separate raids at the airport over the weekend. Both sums of money are believed to be related to the importation of drugs.
A 49-year-old Dublin man was arrested at the airport yesterday under the Proceeds of Crime Act, following the seizure of €279,000. In a statement yesterday the Revenue Commissioners said the cash was "suspected drug money".
Officers from Revenue's Customs service discovered the cash during a routine examination of checked-in luggage by a customs cash detection dog. The money was concealed in a specially constructed false bottom of a suitcase belonging to the man who was about to depart on a flight to Lisbon.
In a special Dublin District Court sitting yesterday afternoon Judge John Lindsey granted an application by the Revenue Commissioners for the detention of the money for three months to allow customs officers to carry out further investigations.
The seizure followed the discovery on Saturday of €700,000 in the luggage of a 26-year-old Irish man as he waited to board a flight to Brussels. The money was found in a bag which had already been checked in. Customs believe the money was being exported to finance the importation of large a consignment of drugs by a west Dublin gang.
The seizures bring to €1.8 million the total detained by Customs officers at Dublin airport under the Proceeds of Crime Act since the beginning of 2008.