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Four men have been arrested in relation to the seizure of 28.5kg of cocaine with a street value of €2 million in addition to a quantity of cannabis and firearms.
As a result of ongoing investigations targeting organised crime activity under Operation Tara, personnel attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) intercepted two vehicles shortly before 4pm on Friday in the Finglas area of Dublin.
Planned searches of addresses were also conducted in Kilkenny, Waterford, Tallaght and Ashbourne, with the assistance of the Garda Dog Unit and personnel attached to the Divisional Drug Units in Tallaght, Kilkenny and Ashbourne Garda stations.
During the course of this operation, three Glock handguns, a replica handgun, 28.5kgs of cocaine and one kilo of cannabis herb worth €20,000 were recovered.
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Gardaí also recovered a hydraulic drugs press, a quantity of mixing agent, drug-mixing paraphernalia, €18,000 in cash and several communications devices. All of the seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.
Four males (aged 55, 32, 27 and 22) were arrested in relation to drug trafficking and were detained, pursuant to the provisions of Section 2 of Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996, at garda stations in Dublin and Meath.