Three arrested, 480 cannabis plants seized in operation against Drogheda drug dealing

Three men have been arrested and 480 mature cannabis plants seized as part of what gardaí said was a “large-scale operation” against Drogheda drug dealing.

The 480 plants, which have been estimated by the Garda as worth about €384,000, were seized during two searches of suspected growhouses in Drogheda, Co Louth, and Edenderry, Co Offaly, on Monday.

The Garda’s Louth Divisional Drug Unit carried out the search operation on Monday morning with the support of the Drogheda Detective and Crime Units, the Drogheda Community Action Team, the Ardee Detective Unit, the Armed Support Unit and the Garda Air Support Unit.

It targeted “the cultivation and manufacture of cannabis for the purpose of onward sale, supply and distribution in Drogheda and the surrounding areas”, the Garda said in a statement on Monday evening.

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Gardaí obtained a search warrant for two premises. The first search, at a house in Drogheda, resulted in the seizure of what the Garda described as 80 “fully mature cannabis plants” with an estimated street value of €64,000.

During the second search in Edenderry, 400 similar plants were found which had a total street value of about €320,000, the Garda said. “All drugs will now be sent for analysis,” it added.

Three men aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s, were arrested during the search operation. They are currently detained in Drogheda and Balbriggan Garda stations under section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.