A MAN HAS been arrested in connection with a near million euro drug seizure last year.

The 56-year-old man was arrested this morning by officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Special Crime Task Force in the Ardee area of County Louth as part of ongoing investigations into serious criminal activity in the Leinster region.

The arrest is linked to a search operation carried out in Ashbourne, county Meath last year when nearly a million euro worth of cocaine and cannabis was recovered.

The man is currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at Ashbourne Garda Station.

Speaking after the drug seizure last November, Assistant Commissioner John O’ Driscoll who has charge of Special Crime Operations said:

“An Garda Síochána national units within Special Crime Operations (SCO) continue to target a range of criminality associated with organised crime.

“In this regard there is a particular emphasis, firstly, on protecting life and tackling threat to life incidents, but also, on targeting the sale of drugs and other illicit products and, importantly, targeting the financial gain and money laundering involved.”