LAST UPDATE | 17 Jul 2020

GARDAÍ HAVE ARRESTED a man following the seizure of €2.5 million worth of drugs as well as a significant amount of paraphernalia which is used in the making of ecstasy and benzodiazepine tablets.

The arrest was made this afternoon by Gardaí attached to the Dublin Metropolitan Region West Divisional Drugs Unit. 

The man, in his 20s, is currently being detained in Ronanstown Garda Station under Section Two of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. 

Gardaí from the Ronanstown Garda Station carried out a search of a home in the Kingswood area of Dublin 22 yesterday.

Gardaí discovered the following: 

• 34 kilos of vacuum-packed cannabis with an estimated value of €680,000
• MDMA with an estimated value of €40,860
• Pink Upjohn tablets valued at €22,146
• Blue ecstasy tablets valued at €176,190,
• Pink powder for Upjohn tablets (a benzodiazepine similar to Xanax) valued at €168,000
• White ecstasy tablets valued at €66,240
• Ketamine valued at €60,000
• Xanax tablets valued at €81,700 and further ecstasy valued at €1,187,500.

Suspected drugs paraphernalia including a drugs press, mixing machine, weighing scales and storage material were also recovered.

Investigations are still ongoing. 

Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy of Dublin West Division has said this is another example of the impact of Operation Tara on drug dealing.

“We will continue to detect and aggressively disrupt illegal drug dealing at all levels in order to protect our communities from the ravages of drugs. I will continue to increase the allocation of resources to meet this challenge”, he said. 

-additional reporting by Tadgh McNally