Strange smell uncovers cannabis grow-house
The fire brigade were called to a two-storey house in a small town in North Cork after reports of a strange smell.
It was feared that there was a gas leak and an ambulance was also dispatched to the scene as a precaution.
Gardaí also arrived and when they went inside the house, their nostrils got a whiff that something wasn’t quite right.
According to Superintendent Pat McCarthy, they discovered up to 130 cannabis plants in various stages of growth in the attic. If all were fully grown and ready for distribution, they would have a street value of €104,000.
Shortly after 8pm last Monday, they sealed off the house at Charleville Road, Newmarket, which also contained growing paraphernalia, such a heaters and watering systems
A 32-year-old man who was in the house at the time was arrested and taken to Mallow Garda Station where he was detained for questioning under section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act.
The man, who is Polish, is understood to have been renting the house for the past nine months.
It’s not unusual for cannabis grow-houses to be discovered in rural areas of north-west Cork.
There have been seizures in the recent past at houses in Lismire, Banteer, Rockchapel and Boherbue.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Customs officers at Cork Airport seized more than €19,000 in cash from two Irishmen as they were about to board a flight to Malaga in Spain yesterday.
The money was discovered by Revenue’s sniffer dig Harvey in luggage belonging to a 43-year-old and 35-year-old who were about to board the same flight.
A Revenue spokesman said they seized €9,000 and €10,120 in accordance with the proceeds of crime legislation.
Officers later went to a sitting of Mallow District Court where Judge Timothy Lucey granted them a order to keep the cash for three months while they continue with their investigations.
