Three held in major cocaine raid

Three men were in police custody today after gardaí foiled what is believed was a major drugs deal in Dublin.

Two kilos of cocaine – with a street value of €160,000 – and more than €40,000 in cash were recovered during the operation at Blanchardstown shopping centre, in the north of the city.

The three men were arrested at around 8.30pm last night and are being held at Blanchardstown garda station.

The trio, all in their twenties, can be held for up to seven days.

One of the detained men is understood to be from the North and linked to a major drug-dealing gang in Blanchardstown, it was reported.

Gardaí and the National Drugs Unit had a gang under surveillance for some time, and it was believed that last night’s raid foiled a major drugs hand-over.