A 25-YEAR-OLD man was in custody last night under the Drug Trafficking Act after gardaí recovered 50kg of cocaine as well as a revolver and ammunition in Drogheda yesterday.
Depending on its purity, the cocaine could have a street value of more than €3.5 million. Initial indications are that it was intended for distribution in the northeast.
The drugs and gun were found on wasteland off the Cement Road in Drogheda during a multi-agency search led by gardaí from Drogheda. The gardaí had the location under surveillance and said the search was the culmination of a three-month investigation.
The searches of the three-acre site began at 7am when gardaí, assisted by the Garda Dog Unit, Garda National Drugs Unit, members of the Criminal Assets Bureau, detectives from Balbriggan, and Customs and Excise officers went to the site.
Two blue plastic barrels, each containing 25kg of cocaine, were discovered hidden in dense undergrowth. Inside one they found a weighing scales with a covering of white powder on it.
A search team using metal detectors found a Webley revolver and 50 bullets, all in good condition, inside a metal ammunition box that had been buried.
In a search of a caravan at St Anthony’s halting site, directly across the road from the wasteland, they recovered a second weighing scales.
A Garda spokesman said: “It is a very significant seizure and we believe it illustrates how much of a problem cocaine abuse is. We have put a dent in drug-dealing with this operation.”
In a follow-up operation, Customs officers also seized a Northern Ireland-registered VW Passat car. Gardaí sealed off the area and further searches will take place today.