Gardaí smash cocaine factory

GARDAÍ have smashed a wholesale cocaine factory operated by one of the country’s biggest drug traffickers.

Officers seized a large haul of the drug – valued officially at around €1.5 million – when they stopped a taxi in north Dublin.

In a follow-up search, they raided a nearby house and found a cocaine factory, with compressors and other drug paraphernalia.

The raids were conducted by the Balbriggan Drug Unit as part of an ongoing operation into drug gangs in the area.

Sources said the gang is a notorious trafficking network, led by a crime boss originally from Coolock, north Dublin. This man now has houses in Cavan and Meath. Last March, he was arrested by the Garda Organised Crime Unit.

A garda spokesman said the cocaine was seized when a car was stopped at Balrothery, Balbriggan, by the local drug unit.

He said cocaine to the value of €1.5m, subject to analysis, was seized.

Two men were arrested at the scene. Two other men were arrested when gardaí searched a house in Balrothery.

Three were taken to Balbriggan Garda Station and one was detained at Swords Garda Station.

All four are held under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.

It was not clear yesterday what quantity of cocaine that was seized.

Garda sources said north county Dublin, as well as Meath and Louth, were “a hub of gangland activity” after gangs from Coolock, and other areas, including Finglas, moved out to those areas because of garda pressure.