Man arrested and €400,000 cannabis seized in Swords

Ellen O'Donoghue

A man (40s) has been arrested and around €400,000 worth of cannabis was seized following the search of a residence in Swords, Co Dublin, on Saturday.

Gardaí attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team searched the property as part of ongoing investigations into the sale and supply of illegal drugs and related criminal activity in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).

During the course of the search, 40 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis herb, each weighing around 500g, with a combined total of 20kg and a street value of €400,000, subject to analysis, were seized.

€7,000 in cash believed to be the proceeds of crime was also seized by the DCRT.

The man was arrested at the scene for an offence contrary to Section 15 Misuse of Drugs Act 1977/84 and is being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at a garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

The seized drugs will now be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland to undergo analysis.

Speaking following the seizure, Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary, DMR said that the "large seizure is another step towards the dismantling of this gang, from whom An Garda Síochána in the DMR have now seized over €2 million in illegal drugs."

"An Garda Síochána’s continued efforts will ensure that those in our communities who are involved in criminal activity will be targeted and brought to justice," he said.

Investigations are ongoing.