AN ESTIMATED €2.4m worth of cannabis has been seized following an intelligence-led operation in Co. Meath this week.
On Tuesday, a joint operation involving Revenue’s Customs Service and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) was carried out in the Meath area.
Revenue officers seized approximately 120kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €2.4m.
Two men in their 50s were arrested and detained at a garda station in Co. Meath under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.
Follow-up searches in Co. Laois a day later led to the discovery of €140,000 worth of suspected cannabis, €10,000 worth of suspected MDMA tablets and a substantial amount of counterfeit prescription tablets.
Cash in excess of €200,000 and a sophisticated illicit pill-making facility, including a pill press, was also seized.
A man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s were arrested and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at a garda station in Co. Laois.
Also on Wednesday, Revenue revealed that a separate operation carried out in Dublin throughout the previous week had led to the discovery of almost €1.7m worth of cannabis.
As a result of risk profiling, Revenue officers examining parcels at a premises in Dublin seized 82kg of herbal cannabis and 9kg of cannabis resin with an estimated combined value of €1,694,000.
Assisted by detector dog Milo, the illicit drugs were discovered in parcels originating from Spain and destined for addresses throughout Leinster.
Revenue say investigations are ongoing.