Issue Date: 30th August 2021
Gardaí in Portlaoise seized approximately 121 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis herb, with an estimated value of €2,180,000 this morning, Monday 30th August 2021.
At approximately 9.30am, Gardaí responded to a report of unusual activity on a rural road in Emo, Co. Laois. Gardaí conducted a search of a storage facility and the surrounding areas and observed a quantity of pallets containing boxes of vegetables, which had previously been unloaded from an articulated truck.
Following a search of these boxes, Gardaí recovered 121kg of packaged cannabis herb (pending analysis), concealed within the boxes of vegetables. The total value of drugs seized is estimated at over €2.1 million.
One man, aged in his 20s, was arrested at the scene and is currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 in Portlaoise Garda Station.
This seizure is part of An Garda Síochána’s national anti-drugs strategy, Operation Tara, which aims to disrupt drug trafficking networks involved in the sale, supply and distribution of controlled drugs at local, national and international level.
Investigations are ongoing.
