A man in his 20s has been arrested after Gardaí uncovered a major drug trafficking operation in County Limerick and seized drugs and cash with a combined estimated value approaching €1 million.
The intelligence-led operation, carried out by the Limerick Garda Divisional Drugs Unit with support from regional units and the Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU), targeted two premises in the Old Pallas/Pallasgreen area of southeast County Limerick on Wednesday, June 10.
The coordinated searches, conducted under warrant, began at approximately 11am and concluded later that evening. Gardaí believe the operation may have links to drug dealing gangs operating in Limerick city.
During the searches, officers seized suspected diamorphine (heroin) with an estimated street value of more than €659,000, suspected cannabis valued at over €114,000, alprazolam tablets worth an estimated €47,000, and suspected cocaine valued at more than €7,000. Gardaí also recovered 12 kilograms of suspected benzocaine, a substance commonly used as a cutting agent in illegal drugs.
In addition to the drugs haul, Gardaí seized more than €117,000 in cash, along with a vehicle and a number of additional items.
A Garda spokesperson said: “A male, aged in his 20s, was arrested and conveyed to a Garda station in County Limerick. He is currently being detained under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.”
The search and seizure operation forms part of Operation Tara, the enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by the Garda Commissioner in July 2021.
According to Gardaí, “the focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels – international, national and local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.”
Garda sources said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to target the sale and supply of illegal drugs across the region, with investigations continuing following the significant seizure.
