Five held after gardaí hurt in drugs seizure

Five people were being questioned by detectives tonight after two gardaí were injured during a major drugs seizure in Dublin.

The three men and two women were arrested after gardaí attempted to stop a car on the M50 as part of an ongoing operation against drugs.

A Garda spokesman said €1m worth of cocaine was seized during the incident and a follow-up search after a car carrying two people attempted to evade officers.

“In their attempt to escape this car collided with a number of civilian vehicles on the motorway before it collided with a Garda vehicle,” he said.

“Two gardai needed hospital attention following this collision. 2kg of cocaine were found in the car and two occupants arrested.

“In a follow up search at a hotel on the Naas Road three people were arrested and about 10kg of cocaine were seized. The estimated street value of the cocaine is €1m.”

The spokesman said a man and a woman arrested in the operation were from the UK, while another male and female were from Cork. The final man was from the Clondalkin area of west Dublin.

He said all those arrested were in their 20s or early 30s.

The five arrested people were being held at Clondalkin and Ballyfermot Garda stations under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act, and can be detained for up to seven days, the spokesman added.