Five men charged after drug raids in Co Meath

Five men were charged yesterday in connection with Garda raids and drugs seizures in Co Meath over the weekend.

Five men were charged yesterday in connection with Garda raids and drugs seizures in Co Meath over the weekend.

A sixth is being held for questioning in relation to a raid in which a drugs-mixing operation was uncovered.

The five men appeared before a special sitting of Dunshaughlin District Court.

Four of the five were arrested in relation to the seizure of drugs outside Athboy on Saturday, as part of a Garda operation involving local gardaí and the Garda National Drugs Unit.

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Paul Ray from Marley's Lane in Drogheda; Séamus Halpin from Mooneystown in Athboy; Seán Fennessy from Winetown Crescent in Navan; and Adrian Boyle, also from Navan, were charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of selling or supplying, under Sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A fifth man, Gary Doran from Lr Oriel Street in Dublin, was charged with possession of cannabis and cocaine for the purpose of selling or supplying in the car park of Jack Quinn's pub near Trim.

Supt Gerry Cadden of Kells Garda station objected to the granting of bail.

He said a substantial amount of drugs had been seized and that he believed further serious charges might be brought against the men.

All five were remanded in custody to appear before Trim District Court on Friday.

Another man who was arrested in relation to the Trim operation was subsequently released and a file is to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the gardaí.

Also as part of the weekend raids, gardaí discovered a drugs- mixing operation at a house in Liscarton, a mile outside Navan, early yesterday.

They seized a compressor and small amounts of cocaine, and arrested a man who is still in custody. He is being held for questioning under the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, and can be detained for up to seven days. The operations were conducted in large part by local officers under Supt Gerry Cadden, in conjunction with the Garda National Drug Unit.

Fiona Gartland

Fiona Gartland

Fiona Gartland is a crime writer and former Irish Times journalist