Fisherman hooks huge drugs haul

A fisherman unwittingly landed the most valuable catch of the season – a drugs haul worth up to €400,000.

The man was fly-fishing in the River Liffey in Co Wicklow on Sunday lunchtime when his hook became snagged in a mysterious package.

When he pulled in his line, his catch turned out to be a bale of cannabis resin.

He informed gardaí in Blessington and a spokesman said divers carried out searches of the river at Ballyward, Manor Kilbride in Wicklow today.

“Follow-up searches uncovered 12 more boxes containing 20 bars each of what again appeared to be cannabis,” said the spokesman.

Gardaí estimate the total find of 13 boxes of cannabis has a street value of €400,000. It is being sent to the Garda Technical Bureau for analysis.

The area around Blessington Lakes is a popular spot with fishermen.

It is not known how long the boxes of cannabis were in the water.

A Garda team are tonight investigating the discovery and continuing to search the river.