FOUR MEN – RANGING in age from their 20s to 50s – are being questioned by gardaí this evening in connection with the seizure of 24.5 kilograms of cannabis in west Dublin.
The drugs, which were uncovered in three separate raids, are estimated to have a street value in the region of €490,000.
In the first operation, a car travelling on the Kylemore Road in Ballyfermot was stopped an searched by officers. One kilogram of cannabis herb was found and the three occupants of the car were arrested.
Later, a van was stopped and searched on the Clonsilla Road in Dublin 15, resulting in the seizure of a further 8.5kg of cannabis. The driver – a man in his 30s – was also arrested.
In a follow-up house search, across the city at Stillorgan’s Dale Road, 15 kilograms of the drug was found by gardaí. A large quantity of cash was found later in a further search at a separate address.
The three occupants of the car are being held tonight at Ballyfermot Garda Station, while the driver of the van is being questioned at Blanchardstown. All four are being detained under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act (Drug Trafficking).
This afternoon’s planned operation was carried out by officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit, the National Surveillance Unit, the Organised Crime Unit and local drugs units.
David McGuinness, a Blanchardstown councillor and member of the local drugs task force, has welcomed the success of the operation, saying it sends a “strong message” to other criminals.
“Gardaí have had numerous success over recent times in apprehending criminals who take part in the drugs trade in Dublin 15.
“Our industrial units have, for some time, been a source of activity within the trade and gardaí have consistently targetted these units to great success.”
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