Drugs worth €2m seized in two raids

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Friday, May 25, 2012, 21:36 The Irish Times takes no responsibility for the content or availability of other websites

ANNA CAOLLA and BARRY ROCHE, Southern Correspondent

Four people are in custody after garda seized drugs worth an estimated 2m in separate raids in Co Donegal and Co Cork today.

Cannabis plants with a value of 1.6 million were seized in a raid on an "elaborate" drug cultivation operation in Laghey, Co Donegal. Two men were arrested.

Garda from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, assisted by members of the Garda National Drugs Unit discovered an estimated 2,000 cannabis plants at the premises at Trummon, Laghey. Garda described the cannabis growing operation as "elaborate".

One man in his 30's and another in his 40's were arrested at the scene and both are are being questioned at Ballyshannon Garda Station under Section 2 Criminal Justice ( Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

In Cork, garda are continuing to question a Chinese man and woman arrested in city this morning following the discovery by customs officers of an estimated 400,000 worth of drugs.

The duo were arrested at a house in the Greenmount area on Corks southside by garda at around 11am after they were called to the scene by Customs officers who were investigating cigarette smuggling.

The Customs investigation followed the detection by customs officers of some 8,000 cigarettes at the Portlaoise Mail Centre and a controlled delivery of the cigarettes was undertaken to the Cork address by customs officers.

The cigarettes, which were Eight brand cigarettes, had originated in China and custom officers estimated that they had a retail value of 3,100 with a further potential loss to the exchequer of 2,724.

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Drugs worth €2m seized in two raids