A major loyalist drug smuggling gang was smashed after the largest seizure yet of cannabis in Northern Ireland, police claimed today.
Senior officers have linked the drugs worth £2 million sterling to the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Loyalist Volunteer Force.
|
A total of 880lb of cannabis resin was recovered from a lorry on the Woodburn Road in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim.
Police said that the cargo, which had travelled on a ferry from Liverpool yesterday, was destined for pubs and clubs across the North before it was intercepted by drugs squad officers.
Supt George McAuley, head of the drugs squad, said: "We're satisfied in this particular case we're looking at paramilitary involvement.
"Our investigation is ongoing but it's reasonable to say that the UDA and LVF are heavily engaged in drug dealing in the greater Belfast area.
Supt McAuley said he was confident the gang involved in the importation of the drugs had been dismantled following the bust.
"I'm satisfied this particular group is now out of business," he said.
"They have paid a number of hundreds of thousands of pounds for this and obviously that's a big dent and we have a number of people arrested."
Three of the four men arrested during the seizure are still in police custody, while a fourth has been released.
PA