Gardaí net €1.8m of cannabis in headboards

GARDAÍ said they uncovered a “new method” for concealing drugs after they netted €1.8 million worth of cannabis.

Some 200kg of the drugs were found packed inside bed headboards which had been carefully carved out. The drugs were located after suspicious gardaí sought the use of the Customs X-ray scanner located in Dublin Port.

Gardaí said the operation had dealt a significant blow to a gang operating out of the Clondalkin area of west Dublin.

“It was an elaborate concealment, behind a number of bed headboards,” said a Garda source.

He said the back of the head boards had been carved out. Packets of drugs were secreted inside and then covered over.

He said the operation would have a significant impact on the gang: “It’s not just the monetary value, but also the logistical aspect that we have taken out. This was a new method of concealment. That is significant.”

In an operation conducted by the Garda National Drugs Unit (GNDU), a van was stopped on Arran Quay in Dublin city centre on Tuesday. Gardaí did not find any drugs, but were suspicious.

They contacted Customs and asked could they use their scanner at Dublin Port to scan the van. The X-ray scanner – one of only two in the country – found the cannabis resin behind the headboards.

The 200kg of drugs have a street value of €1.4m. The driver, a 60-year-old man, was arrested.

At 10pm on Wednesday, in a follow-up operation, the GNDU searched a premises at an industrial estate in Rathcoole, near Clondalkin. They seized around 57kg of cannabis, worth €400,000. A 40-year-old man was arrested.

Yesterday morning, gardaí arrested a third man, aged 23, in Dublin city centre.

Garda sources said none of the three men were major players and they were investigating their roles. The operation is continuing.

Meanwhile, gardaí said 29 head shops remained open after legislation banning mind-altering drugs came into effect last Monday.

Some 39 stores were open last Sunday, 10 of which, including the most popular stores, have closed.

Garda sources said none of the shops open appeared to be selling psychoactive drugs. Many are selling caffeine-based tablets or equipment like pipes or bongs, which are not included in the legislation.