Loyalists blamed for €3.5m drug haul

A major loyalist drug smuggling gang was smashed after the largest seizure yet of cannabis in Northern Ireland, police claimed today.

Senior officers have linked the drugs haul, worth £2.5m (€3.5m) to the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Loyalist Volunteer Force.

A total of 880lb of cannabis resin was recovered from a lorry on the Woodburn Road in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim.

Police said that the cargo, which had travelled on a ferry from Liverpool yesterday, was destined for pubs and clubs across the North before it was intercepted by drugs squad officers.

Superintendent George McAuley, head of the drugs squad in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said the haul would have benefited both the UDA and LVF.

“We’re satisfied in this particular case we’re looking at paramilitary involvement,” he said.

“Our investigation is ongoing but it’s reasonable to say that the UDA and LVF are heavily engaged in drug dealing in the greater Belfast area.

“Ultimately it would have been distributed to a number of other groups within the Belfast area and ended up probably all over the country at street level dealing within pubs, clubs and other venues of entertainment.”

Mr McAuley said he was confident that the gang involved in the importation of the drugs had been dismantled following the bust.

“I’m satisfied this particular group is now out of business,” he said.

“They have made a sizeable investment in this and we obviously have the drugs, so they have lost their money.

“They have paid a number of hundreds of thousands of pounds for this and obviously that’s a big dent and we have a number of people arrested.”

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton said the haul was hugely significant for Northern Ireland.

Mr Leighton said months of work had gone into the drug bust.

“Seizures of this type take a lot of work, undercover work, work with other forces, work with other agencies and that’s been ongoing for some time,” he added.

Three of the four men arrested during the seizure are still in police custody, while a fourth has been released.