Drugs seized in Dublin worth estimated €3m

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The value of a variety of drugs seized in Dublin on Thursday has been revised up to €3 million, gardaí have said.

Three men continue to be detained at a Garda station in Dublin after the haul of suspected cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, ecstasy tablets and cannabis jellies, on Thursday.

The seizure had originally been given a street value of two million euro, but has since been revised up to €3 million, subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland (FSI).

On Thursday, officers attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau intercepted two vehicles in Blanchardstown.

A residential address in Blanchardstown was also searched, during which the huge drugs haul was made.

Asked about the number of major drugs seizures in recent weeks, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said it was “the tip of the iceberg”.

“What it shows is that gardaí are doing extraordinary work, working with their partners, working with Revenue, working with customs, working with Europol and Interpol, our international partners at the political level and at a policing level, and that they’re doing everything that they can to try and confiscate, to identify and to disrupt these criminal gangs that are actually bringing these drugs in.

“This is, I think, really positive work.

“I think it’s a sign of the huge amount of investment that has gone into An Garda Síochana and the units that are specifically targeting these drug cartels. But there’s so much more we need to do.

“I’m confident as we build our resources, as we build our connections, as we become more incorporated into the work of Europol and Interpol and as we engage at a senior level from across the political spectrum that this is an issue that we can tackle.”