€16,000 worth of cannabis found in makeshift factory in Togher

FORTY cannabis plants with a street value of €16,000 were discovered in a makeshift cannabis factory in a house in Togher in Cork this weekend.

The discovery came following the stopping of a car at a Garda Traffic Corps checkpoint at the Lakeview Roundabout in Midleton last Friday evening.

Following the stopping of a vehicle, the Garda became suspicious after smelling what he perceived to be cannabis in the car. Upon searching the car, a quantity of cannabis was recovered as well as some documents.

A warrant was obtained which led to a search of a house in Togher. During the search, a room was discovered which was set aside for the cultivating of cannabis plants.

Some 40 plants were uncovered with a street value of €16,000 as well as other cannabis production paraphernalia such as heating systems, lamps, ovens, extractors and propagating units.

A young male in his early 20s was detained and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

Meanwhile, the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee (ITMAC) has warned that the illegal tobacco trade is now sweeping across Ireland, with Cork now a major focus for the smuggling and selling of illegal tobacco helping to fuel criminal activity across the country.

From April to August this year, more than 114 million cigarettes worth €38.1 million were seized by customs.

In the same period, more than 25m illegal cigarettes were seized across Cork, with a value of €8.3m. This compares to the 31.5m were seized in Dublin and 45.7m in the north east of the country.

With one scanner positioned in Dublin Port and another operating primarily on the eastern seaboard, Cork has been left open to criminal gangs looking to smuggle illegal tobacco into the country and the figures continue to rise in the county.

Between April and June in Cork, four people were prosecuted for the sale of illegal tobacco. Criminal gangs make €3m a week in Ireland from the sale of illegal tobacco.

A spokesperson for the ITMAC said the Government need to seriously address the problem which costs the Irish economy €526m in 2009 and is due to cost it even more in 2010.

“Cork has now shown itself to be a major target area of smugglers and sellers of illegal tobacco,” a spokesperson for ITMAC said today. “It was only a matter of time before this happened. One scanner would cost the government €2m. With a seizure of 3m cigarettes costing the Irish economy €1m, then a seizure of 6m cigarettes would cover the cost of one scanner for Cork and help to cut down the supply and hence the criminal activity in the county. This would also help stop the supply going to other areas around the country,” he said.