GARDAÍ HAVE SEIZED €110,000 of cannabis in a “controlled delivery” to an employee at the offices of Bauer Media in Dublin city centre – the company which runs Newstalk and Today FM.

The seizure, first reported by the Irish Independent, was made yesterday as part of a joint Garda and Revenue operation. 

Sources told The Journal that the employee does not work in an on air or editorial role – investigators believe this was a personal delivery to the workplace of the suspect and Bauer Media had nothing to do with the incident. Workers at the stations were said to be shocked by the news. 

In a statement Revenue said it launched the intelligence-led operation and seized 5.5kg of herbal cannabis at a business in south Dublin city centre – Bauer Media is based at Diggs Lane near Grafton Street.

“The illicit drugs have an estimated value of €110,000. This seizure was made as a result of a joint operation conducted by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), DMR South Central Divisional Drug Unit and Revenue’s Customs Service.

“One male, aged in his 30s, was arrested by An Garda Síochána and is currently detained in a Garda Station in the Dublin Region under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996,” he said. 

The suspect can be held for a maximum of seven days.

Sources have said the operation involved drugs bought off a site on the internet, possibly the dark web, and then sent to Ireland by postal service.

Gardaí and Revenue Customs identified the package and then put in place a so-called controlled delivery to the address where Newstalk, Spin 1038, 98FM and Today FM are based.

The drugs are generally delivered by an undercover garda and they then raided the business under warrant, seized the drugs and arrested the recipient. 

A spokeswoman for the company said: “Bauer Media Audio Ireland has no comment to make on this matter”.