Five held after €640,000 worth of cannabis plants seized in North Cork

More than 800 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of €640,000 were seized by gardaí following a search of a warehouse in Rathcormac, Co Cork, yesterday.

Five men in their 20s and 30s were arrested and were last night being detained under drug trafficking legislation, including one in Fermoy, two in Midleton, and two in Cobh Garda stations. They can be detained for up to seven days.

The men are believed to be Chinese. All five were arrested inside the warehouse.

Supt Mick Coymns confirmed that drug-growing paraphernalia, including heating, lighting, and watering equipment, were also seized in the raid.

“Any time you find a grow house with over 800 plants in it is significant. This was definitely destined for the Irish market,” said Supt Coymns.

Gardaí were awaiting interpreters to help with questioning of the suspects last night and they were also starting to check on the Chinese nationals’ immigration status.

The latest raid took place at about 4pm yesterday at a warehouse in Mondaniel, on the former main road between Rathcormac and Fermoy, following a “surveillance-led operation”. Plants at the “grow house” were, according to garda sources “at the middle stages of growth”, and not yet ready for harvesting.

It is the biggest seizure in the Cork region since the seizure of cannabis plants worth up to €800,000 in Youghal last March.