Members of the Garda National Drugs Unit have raided a number of houses in the greater Dublin area as part of a follow-up operation after the discovery in Walkinstown of a substantial batch of chemicals used in the manufacture of illicit drugs.
The precursor chemicals could have been used to manufacture around €500 million worth of ecstasy tablets and amphetamine.
A team of gardaí and customs officers also completed their search of the premises where the precursor chemicals were found. They had been shipped from southern China to Rotterdam, unloaded there and shipped on to Ireland. They arrived in the State on Tuesday. Gardaí had been informed by the Dutch authorities that the chemicals were being transported here.
Officers from the drugs unit mounted a surveillance operation on the goods and allowed them to be delivered to the Walkinstown address. Armed officers then raided the premises and arrested five non-nationals. A sixth person was later picked up in Drogheda.
It is believed the chemicals were shipped here in order that they could be split into smaller quantities and exported back to Holland for the manufacture of ecstasy tablets and amphetamine.
Precursor chemicals are not produced here. According to Garda sources the gang behind the shipment probably believed the Dutch authorities would not see shipping routes between Ireland and Holland as a likely route for the haul. Cargo vessels arriving in Holland from China would be seen as posing a greater risk of containing the chemicals and would have been closely scrutinised by the Dutch authorities.
The seizure came after a joint operation between the Garda, Dutch police and customs officers in both jurisdictions. Gardaí had been tipped off as to the activities in Ireland of the arrested people some months ago. They believe smaller quantities of the chemicals may have been shipped from China to Holland via Ireland. However, this has yet to be established.
The four men and two women arrested on Tuesday were still detained last night at Clondalkin and Tallaght Garda stations. Four are from China, one is from Macau and the other is from Afghanistan.
