Three held after rural raids yield €500,000 in cannabis

THREE MEN have been arrested following a targeted Garda raid on gangs involved in the cultivation of cannabis plants for sale.

The three people detained, two men and a woman, who are all believed to be Vietnamese, were arrested in separate raids in Longford and Roscommon yesterday morning.

The raids were similar to ones carried out as part of Operation Vacuum last month when the Garda Drugs Unit seized cannabis and cash at premises in Dublin and Navan.

Operation Vacuum is targeting gangs involved in cannabis production, although yesterday's raids were not part of it.

At Drumlish, Co Longford, cannabis plants and dried cannabis herb with a street value of €287,000 were seized and a woman was arrested.

Gardaí also visited premises in Lisacul, Castlerea, Co Roscommon, where they seized cannabis plants and dried cannabis herb with a street value of €86,000 and arrested a man.

In Strokestown, Co Roscommon, cannabis plants and dried cannabis herb worth €147,000 were seized and a man was arrested there too.

The raid was a follow-up to one carried out in Castlerea in April during which gardaí seized €60,000 worth of cannabis plants and arrested a foreign national.

Yesterday, gardaí brought in officials from the ESB to cut the power to the premises involved before entering them wearing gas masks and clothing to protect themselves from the fumes.

The rooms where the cannabis was grown were hermetically sealed off to ensure that there was no smell emanating from the growing area.

It is believed that gangs use rented houses in rural areas to grow the plants in a bid to avoid detection.

All the houses were build in the last decade.

Garda spokesman Supt Kevin Donohoe said last month that landlords who rent out either private houses or industrial premises have a duty to know what was going on inside.

The searches were carried out by gardaí at Roscommon and Longford as well as members from the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

The three people are being questioned at Roscommon, Boyle and Longford Garda stations.

An incident room has been set up at Castlerea Garda station.