Nephew of republican held in €200k drugs seizure

GARDAÍ have arrested a nephew of a prominent republican after they stopped a car and seized more than €200,000 of cannabis.

The swoop was made yesterday afternoon after drugs squad detectives stopped a car in Cork.

The man, aged 39, who lives on the southside of the city, was arrested along with a female passenger, aged 32, after the vehicle they were travelling in was stopped and searched on the South Ring Road, near the Jack Lynch Tunnel.

Detectives from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit, based at Anglesea Street Garda station, recovered 17kg of cannabis grass concealed within the vehicle.

The man and woman were arrested at the scene and taken to the Bridewell Garda Station where they were being detained under Section 2 of the Drugs Trafficking Act.

Under that legislation they can be held for up to seven days before either being charged or released.

It is understood the man being questioned is the nephew of a well-known member of Sinn Féin.

Earlier in the day, the same detectives had been involved in a national crackdown on organised crime, codenamed Operation Chisel, which resulted in the arrest of 13 people, two of whom are living in the Cork area.

Those two men, aged 19 and 20, were detained at Togher Garda station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act (2007) – legislation enacted to combat organised crime.

All four people arrested – including the two found with the €200,000 of cannabis – were still being detained by gardaí last night.

Drugs squad officers have made a significant number of cannabis seizures in Cork city and suburbs in recent weeks.