POLICE AND CUSTOMS officials on both sides of the border have had cause for celebration this week with hugely valuable drugs seizures taking place.
€1.75 million in cocaine was seized at Cork port, while €1.1 million in ‘skunk’ cannabis was grabbed by the PSNI in a major drugs sting in Northern Ireland.
The 25kg haul of cocaine at Cork Port came about after a routine inspection of containers being unloaded by a Central American freighter there. Investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the PSNI have seized €1.1 million worth of herbal ‘skunk’ cannabis as part of an international sting operation into drug-trafficking in Northern Ireland.
An undisclosed amount of cash was also seized following ten searches across the north, while four men and two women aged between 26 and 33-years-old were arrested.
At the same time two people were arrested in the Bologna and Prato areas of Italy by Italian police.
“Detectives believe they have arrested significant members of a crime gang who have been involved in money laundering and drugs trafficking activities,” said a PSNI statement.
The officer leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Andy Dunlop from the PSNI’s Organised Crime Branch said the police have ‘established the source’ of a major supply of herbal cannabis.
“This is a substantial multi-agency international investigation,” he said.
We have seized £800,000 of herbal cannabis but our enquiries lead us to believe that much more has already been sent from Italy to Northern Ireland.
All illegal drugs are harmful but this ‘skunk’ variety can be particularly dangerous because it can significantly increase a user’s likelihood of experiencing a psychotic episode.
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