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GARDAÍ HAVE SEIZED around €720,000 worth of cannabis along with €22,000 in cash following a number of searches yesterday.
The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, along with Revenue Customs and the Garda Dog Unit stopped and searched four vehicles in Ashbourne and west Dublin.
A further four addresses in Dublin, Meath and Louth were also searched.
During these searches, 36kg of cannabis and the quantity of cash were discovered.
Three men – two aged in their 30s and another in his 40s – have been arrested and are currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at Ashbourne and Ronanstown Garda Stations.
Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll, who heads garda operations into organised and serious crime, said: “The seizure of a significant quantity of illicit drugs and the arrest of three suspects demonstrates the value of ongoing positive working relationships forged by An Garda Síochána with partner agencies, in Ireland, with the Revenue Customs Service.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to tackle organised crime that impacts negatively on communities.”
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Legalise.
@Ann Experiment: legalise and give licences to farmers, mushroom farmers, to grow. Then sell through licenced outlets like tobacconists
@Ann Experiment: putting resources into getting addicts off drugs would be a better solution
@Mattress Dick: by raising funds through taxation, what part of this are you having trouble with it?
@Felim O’Rourke: I wonder who is involved in mushroom farming ;-)
@JustBEERbarry: at the same time as creating more addicts logic right there
@john s: on a scale of 1-10, just how thick can one person be? You don’t create more ‘hash addicts’ you create less. There hasn’t been a single confirmed report of anyplace that has legalised in creating more problems that its fixed. I’ve come to the conclusion you are a notorious troll/crank and should be discredited at every opportunity – which I will continue to do.
@JustBEERbarry: on a scale of 1-10, just how thick can one person be?
Ah well I think this chap has gone into negative figures.
@Davey Ohanlon: you got it Davey. I’d say our friend was vocally opposed to women choosing medical rights over their own bodies too and allowing two people of the same sex from marrying too. Odd individual.
@john s: Would you use it if it was legal??
@Ian Hoey: he doesn’t have to. It being legal or illegal makes NO difference to his life at all. Hes just a troll/crank
It’s beyond insane at this point. What a waste of resources, time and money. We need to make this an election issue next time out and vote for a government that are prepared to move away from the shackles of the past and adopt a sensible and progressive approach to cannabis use in this state.
@Declan Doherty: more criminals caught more illegal drugs off the street. Another good day for the gardai
@john s: Missing the point, we need to take this out of criminal hands altogether and legalise, regulate & tax it. Free up Garda resources to go after serious crime.
@David Ha: maybe educate people about the harmfulness of drugs and help addicts get clean would be better?
@Mattress Dick: through taxation?
@Mattress Dick: In fairness, if that worked Nancy Reagans “just say no” policy would have worked. Prohibition is an absolute failure and the sooner we can accept drugs as part of a functioning aociety, the better. We have the data, now bring in legislation
@john s: Who are you.
@Bernard Wallace: or maybe it is working to prevent a wide scale catastrophe of drug use
@john s: yes John it’s working. No more seizures forthcoming because the gardai have gotten them all and no one will ever attempt to consume a narcotic of their choice and of their own free will either. Good work by all, yourself included. You should start a podcast.
@john s: I know you’re not able to see it but every time you argue in favour of prohibition you’re actually arguing for all the things you claim to be against. You’ve never once put forward a logical or rational point to support your position because there’s isn’t one. What’s even more surprising is that you willingly and entirely of your own volition, choose to publicly demonstrate your ignorance on this topic every chance you get. There’s never any shame in not knowing something. The shame is in being unwilling to learn.
@Declan Doherty: he’s a troll/crank and should and will be discredited at every single opportunity.
@john s: plants are not drugs
If it was decriminalised there would be hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens able to have a bit of piece and not be in fear of been prosecuted. Its been illegal for nearly 100 years.. In that time how many non violent people have been arrested and charged. Kids and adults. Is there anyone in Ireland that smokes and cant get any. There will always be a demand and crimials will always make huge money as long as its illegal. Legalise and tax for everyones benifit and the Guards will be able to focus on real crime.
@Colm Vambeck: why decriminalise instead of legalise? That’s only a half arsed solution. And if the government grant decriminalisation forget about legalisation, its not happening – there is one chance to visit this topic so let’s get it right from the start. No half measures. Accept no less than full legalisation.
We see seizures like this every day. Stop wasting police time, legalise and tax it, stop making millionaires out of gangsters
Absolute waste of Garda resources. If we legalise and regulate, there will be no use for these criminals who sell cannabis. Disputes will be settled in courts and not with violence on our streets. Kids and teenagers won’t be able to get their hands on it. And people will know the quality/quantity/potency of the product they are currently using.
If you want to use cannabis for pain relief and you buy it off the black market, who knows what’s in it? Glass? Dangerous pesticides? Furthermore, it could be low CBD and like 25% THC. Prohibition hurts everybody.
@Tomo: I disagree that it’s a waste of Garda resources. That was good work and a significant haul off drug dealers which are most likely some shoot off of one of the organised criminal gangs. I agree cannabis should be legalized and regulated and the other points you made about potency control etc. However I don’t agree with what you said about these guys settling disputes in court instead of on the streets if it was legalized. These people aren’t smart businessmen driven underground because of the law. They’re criminals who would turn to other crime instead. I have no sympathy for them.
@Mick Murphy: There are hundreds of people involved in the black market drug trade. The logistics requires hundreds and thousands of people to distribute just like a legal business. One or two people caught by the Gardai and in court doesn’t affect this in the slightest. Price remains stable, therefore demand and supply also remain stable. Makes no difference to anyone but wastes taxpayers money.
@Tomo: I’m not disagreeing with you on that point Tomo. I agree with the legislation and taxation etc. The point I’m making is that these seizures are not a waste of Garda time and resources as the people that are running this trade, at the moment, from top to bottom are criminals and are of a criminal nature. In my opinion even if cannabis was legalized these people would move sideways into a different criminal enterprise as opposed to becoming a respectable business people. The violence and negative effects on society would not change. Users of cannabis are probably less inclined to be violent than a person who is drunk but the people trafficking large quantities are nasty and a scourge on society and I support raiding them and locking them up.
Hope government are reading these comments, attitudes have changed and resources could be utilised where there really needed.
Legalise and tax.
Yawn! Go do something positive for the community and stop wasting resources. This is a health issue and you are demonizing users and supporting criminals. We are not impressed with this daily nonsense!
@merely ed: prohibition only favour the criminal and those who financially benefit from it.
@merely ed: 100% ed
@Derek: no drug users who don’t care about society are benefiting criminals.
@john s: So people who drink wine don’t care about society? People who take panadol don’t care about society? People who drink coffee don’t care about society?
@Tomo: John is holier than thou. He doesn’t even fart.
@JustBEERbarry: not worth respond to. Just the same mantra out of him like a broken record.
@john s: john you should be held down and have drugs forced upon you. That is the only humane thing to do with the likes of you.
For as long as its illegal it’s an easy target for Gardai. They get the bust, the PR putting, they get the kudos, they get potential cash hauls, potential ammo and guns hauls and potential information further up the line about other shipments and loads elsewhere.
The gardai might know they are wasting their time but until its legal they aren’t going to stop. Gardai enforce the stupid laws set for them by the waster politicians.
Politicians need to be heavily lobbied for legalisation, not decriminalisation. Decriminalisation changes nothing. Full legalisation only please.
@JustBEERbarry: I think the 100,000+ people in this country who now have a criminal record because of cannabis possession, affecting their ability to get a job, house, loan.. may disagree with you. It should be decriminalised and the focus shifted to harm reduction, criminalising achieves absolutely nothing.
Legalise, decriminalise & regulate. Hell even tax it as this point as per CO, put funds back into healthcare system here. Unfortunately talking money is probably what will prompt change.
@Clare McAfee: decriminalisation changes nothing. It remains a grey/black market commodity until its taken and fully regulated. Do you think records of 100,000+ are going to be expunged in Ireland if its legal or decriminalised? No. They aren’t. Full legalisation only and prevent any further stupid convictions in the future.
If someone needs it medically, you can get it. If someome wants it recreationally, thats allowed too. This needs regulation. Is legalisation the magic cure to all? No it isn’t but its a LOT better than what’s going on right now. Pathetic minister for justice, minister for drugs and pathetic leadership from the top down.
@JustBEERbarry: I agree 100% with everything you’re saying. All of it. But we have to be realistic… maybe I’m just jaded at this point. I’ve spoken about this at Limerick Uni, written articles for the journal, replied to a heck of a lot of emails from the likes of cancer, Fibro, MS patients who have been criminalised and/or shunned for this. And I feel like an utterly useless beep who has nothing helpful to suggest in response – not a single thing.
Yes, we want those 100,000 criminal records expunged – these people suffer hugely simply because they used or possessed cannabis, a decent chunk of them have medical conditions and that’s bad enough without a criminal record on top of it.
I’ll never for the life of my understand how prohibition is still in effect in 2021.
Congratulations to our Garda.
@ÓDuibhír Abú: … on being forced to waste valuable time, resources and funding?
Legalise, decriminalise, regulate. As usual, we’re last to consider proven alternatives, it’s beyond a joke at this point.
@ÓDuibhír Abú: congratulations would be appropriate if it was 36kg of heroin or cocaine. Wise up.
Legalise, regulate & educate to reduce harm and defund criminal gangs.
It’s a no brainier, come on government have some guts and do the right thing.
I’m sick to death honest to god of hearing these massive seizures on daily basis like are customs asleep or wat like, its like empire state building is on fire and your having piss on it to out it joke
This is getting ridiculous now.. what will thay say to the victims when it’s free? Egg on face kinda feelings.
well if you stick loads of weed in the post it’s going to get caught, have the not been reading the papers they have drug dogs in every sorting office, but sure what can u expect from uneducated drug dealers
have your say