Crime boss reeling after raid on cocaine factory

ONE of the country’s most notorious drug traffickers was reeling after gardaí busted one of his cocaine mixing factories over the weekend.

It is the latest in a series of operations hitting the crime boss.

The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) recovered 11kg of cocaine at a house in Tallaght, south-west Dublin, on Saturday evening. The haul belonged to a gang that is feuding with another drugs outfit in the Crumlin, Drimnagh and south inner city area. The feud has led to at least 11 gangland murders so far.

The gang is led by a notorious crime boss, from the south inner city, who is a target not only of the rival feuding gang, but also the INLA.

Two men were arrested during the raid of a house in Sundale Close, Tallaght, by the OCU. One man, aged 39, is from the north inner city, while the second, aged 21, is from the Tallaght area. Both are considered high-ranking members of the gang.

Gardaí said the house was searched after extensive surveillance by the OCU which suspected the house was being used for the “mixing and storing of large amounts of cocaine”.

Officers recovered a total of 11kg of cocaine in different parts of the house. The haul would have an estimated street value of around €770,000, depending on analysis of its purity levels.

One of the suspects was taken to Tallaght Garda Station, while the second was brought to Rathfarnham Station. They were detained under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act.