Heroin and cocaine worth over €230,000 seized in Portlaoise

Michael Bolton

Gardaí have seized over €230,000 of suspected heroin and cocaine during a number of searches in Portlaoise, Co Laois following an operation on Wednesday and Thursday.

The searches were conducted as part of Operation Tara by the Laois Drugs Unit.

On Wednesday, a man in his 30s was stopped and searched on Mountmellick Road and was found in possession of €3,920 worth of heroin. He was arrested and detained under the provisions of section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.

On the same day, a search of a residence in Portlaoise led to the discovery and seizure of €15,680 wroth of heroin and €880 of cocaine. A woman, aged in her late teens, has since been arrested and detained at a Garda station in the Midlands under the provisions of section two of the Drug Trafficking Act 1996.

On Thursday, follow-up searches were conducted at two further residences in Portlaoise, aided by the Garda Dog Unit, where approximately 1.5kg of suspected heroin, with a value of €210,000, was seized.

The drugs seized, totalling almost €230,000 of heroin and €880 of cocaine, will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.

The arrested man has since been charged and appeared before Portlaoise District Court on Thursday. The arrested woman has since been charged and is due to appear before Nenagh District Court.