Seven men arrested over €1.6 million drugs seizures

Seven people have been arrested in Dublin, Meath and Louth in connection with the seizure of drugs worth an estimated €1.6 million.

Officers from the Garda National Drug Unit carried out a number of raids last night.

Three men were arrested in an operation in Co Meath. Seven kilos of cocaine and three kilos of heroin were seized in a search of a farmyard and disused grain shed near Ardee. Another three kilos of heroin were subsequently found in a follow-up search.

Gardai display part of a cache of cocaine seized in a recent operation

The three men are being held at Navan and Droheda Station under Section Two of the Drugs Trafficking Act.

In a simultaneous operation, gardaí arrested four men in north Dublin and recovered seven kilos of cocaine.

They also discovered a large quantity of mixing agent used in the mixing cocaine. A large quantity of cash and an undisclosed amount of cannabis resin was also seized.

The four are being held at north Dublin Garda stations.

It is understood that one of those arrested in Louth, a 34-year-old man from the Border area, is suspected of being one of the country's largest importers of drugs. His brother was also arrested.

It is the latest in a series of high-profile drugs seizures this week.

On Monday, Customs Officers found 15 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated €1 million in a suitcase at Dublin Airport. The luggage had been on a flight from Cancun, Mexico. Two women were subsequently arrested in Ballymun.

On the same day gardaí arrested four Nigerians in a suspected crack cocaine factory in Phibsboro in north Dublin city. Drugs worth €150,000 were seized in the raid.

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.

When armed gardaí identified themselves, the 32-year-old man, 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.