THREE men have been arrested after gardaí seized cocaine, Rolex watches and a Range Rover in Co. Galway today.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation in Dublin, a woman was arrested over the seizure of eight Rolex watches worth more than €210,000.
In Galway, searches were carried out by the Divisional Drugs Unit this morning as part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the region.
At a number of residential properties in the Doughiska area, gardaí seized quantities of cocaine (pending analysis) with a total estimated street value of €8,900.
Three Rolex watches — one of which has been valued at almost €32,000 — around €2,500 in cash and a Range Rover Discovery were also seized.
A further 2kg of cocaine, valued at €139,000, was recovered in adjacent waste ground.
Two men aged in their 20s and one in his late teens were subsequently arrested and are currently being detained at a garda station in Co. Galway.
The trio are being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 and can be held for up to seven days.
Safety deposit box
In Dublin this morning, gardaí arrested a woman in her 30s in relation to the seizure of eight Rolex watches with a total combined value of €216,000.
The arrest was made by gardaí attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT) as part of investigations being conducted under Operation Thor.
On November 2, 2024, gardaí conducted a search under warrant of a safety deposit box held at a location in Dublin 4, where the eight watches were seized.
“The garda investigation is focussing on the origin of the funds used to purchase these watches,” read a garda statement.
“It is suspected funds used to purchase the watches were derived from the proceeds of criminal conduct, namely burglary and theft-related offences.”
The woman is currently detained under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.
Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.