THREE YOUNG MEN have been arrested following the seizure of €150,000 worth of cocaine by gardaí during a search operation in Galway.

Three Rolex watches (one of which has been valued at almost €32,000), roughly €2,500 in cash and a Range Rover Discovery were also recovered by gardaí.

Gardaí in Galway conducted the seizure as part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the region.

Searches were carried out this morning at a number of residential properties in the Galway suburb of Doughiska, where cocaine with an estimated street value of €8,900 was seized.

A further 2kg of cocaine valued at €139,000 was recovered in adjacent waste ground.

Three men, two aged in their 20s and one in his late teens, were subsequently arrested and are currently detained at a Garda station in Co Galway.

In a separate investigation in Dublin, a woman in her 30s was arrested in connection with the seizure of luxury watches, with a combined value of €216,000.

Two of the watches seized following the investigation in Dublin 4. Garda Press Office Garda Press Office

The collection of eight Rolex watches was seized by gardaí attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT) during an investigation earlier this month.

Gardaí conducted a search under warrant of a safety deposit box at a location in Dublin 4 on 2 November, where the eight watches were seized.

Gardaí said the investigation is focussing on the origin of the funds used to purchase these watches.

It is suspected that funds used to purchase the watches were “derived from the proceeds of criminal conduct”, namely burglary and theft related offences.

The arrested woman is currently detained at a Garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

“Investigations are ongoing,” gardaí confirmed in a statement.