Cocaine worth €2.6m 'destined for Christmas social scene'
Gardaí released a photo of the cocaine, cash and drugs equipment they seized
- Published
A man and a woman have been arrested after Gardaí (Irish police) seized cocaine with an estimated street value of €2.6m (£2.2m) in north Dublin.
The drugs were found when officers stopped two vehicles in Swords shortly after 20:30 local time on Wednesday.
They also searched a home in Shankill in County Dublin.
In addition to finding 38kg (almost six stones) of cocaine, gardaí said they also found €66,000 (£55,000) in cash, money counters, a cocaine press and other equipment used in the drugs trade.
The man, who is 28, and the 22-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of facilitating drug distribution for an organised crime group.
The pair remain in custody in Dublin and can be held for up to a week.
'Destined for Christmas scene'
The operation was conducted by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau as part of Operation Tara, Ireland's national anti-drugs strategy.
"This is another significant seizure of cocaine which we believe was destined for the Christmas social scene in particular," said Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis.
"An Garda Síochána and our law enforcement partners are continuing to play our part in tackling drug-related organised crime and intimidation," she added.
"Think before you use this coming holiday season, as consumption fuels supply and demand in this harmful illicit industry. We all have a part to play.”