PICTURES: Gardai release images of €7m Ashbourne drugs seizure
Two men in their 30s are due to appear at a sitting of Trim District Court on Friday 17th November at 9am charged in relation to yesterday's drug seizure.
Gardaí seized what is believed to be at least €7 million worth of cannabis and cocaine in Ashbourne as part of an internatonal policing operation.
Gardai from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Special Crime Task Force, who are believed to be have been investigating the Hutch /Kinehan crime gangs seized the drugs and arrested two men.
In a planned operation, Gardaí searched two premises in Ashbourne, and discovered cannabis herb and cocaine. Two men in their 30s were arrested at the scene and are detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at Ashbourne Garda Station.
The operation is on-going and searches were stopped for the night.
Assistant Commissioner John O’ Driscoll who has charge of Special Crime Operations speaking from the Netherlands said; "An Garda Síochána national units within Special Crime Operations (SCO) continue to target a range of criminality associated with organised crime. In this regard there is a particular emphasis, firstly, on protecting life and tackling threat to life incidents, but also, on targeting the sale of drugs and other illicit products and, importantly, targeting the financial gain and money laundering involved”.
"As can clearly be seen, the Garda Síochána, through Serious Crime Operations (SCO), is engaged in activity on all three fronts in recent days. In particular, today the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) has brought to fruition an operation targeting drug trafficking, which has an international dimension. This has resulted in a significant seizure of cannabis herb and cocaine and the arrest of a number of suspects. Action in this jurisdiction has been coordinated with action being undertaken by international law enforcement authorities”.
Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll is in The Netherlands to meet Dutch law enforcement personnel and law enforcement personnel from other jurisdictions.