NI-bound £7.5m ecstasy haul seized

Ecstasy tablets destined for Northern Ireland with a street value of £7.5m (€10.8m) were seized by police in a major operation near Amsterdam today.

Drugs squad officers in Belfast investigating trafficking links with the paramilitary Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) were involved.

The seizure was the largest yet involving drug trafficking in Northern Ireland.

Two Dutch nationals were arrested and 750,000 tablets were intercepted after police swooped on a house outside Amsterdam.

Today’s discovery followed raids in Lisburn, Co Antrim and Lurgan, Co Armagh last week when cocaine with a street value of £1m (€1.4m) was seized. One man has been charged.

PSNI Drugs Squad officers believe today’s European wide police operation has had a major impact on the drugs manufacture and supply route to the LVF.

The LVF has issued a statement denying involvement in last week’s cocaine seizure, claiming retribution would be taken against anyone using its name.

It added it was opposed to the distribution of all illegal drugs and welcomed the eradication of this practice.

But police said today’s operation formed part on an ongoing investigation into alleged drug dealing activities by the LVF in Mid Ulster and was linked to the recent cocaine haul as well as a number of major ecstasy seizures.

Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid, head of the PSNI’s Crime Operations Department praised the cooperation between the Drugs Squad and Dutch Police, which led to today’s successes.