€400,000 worth of cannabis found in sea off Donegal

Authorities are today launching a search of the seabed off the west coast of Ireland after almost half a million euro worth of cannabis was snared in a fisherman’s net.

Two large bales of the drugs were brought ashore at Killybegs in the early hours of this morning by a Donegal-based trawler that accidentally hauled them aboard yesterday.

The Revenue Customs Service have refused to disclose the exact location of the find as they plan to scour the area for any more bales that may be on the seabed.

Denis Harkin, Customs spokesman, said they were found “relatively close” to the area where 261kg of cannabis was found in September by another trawler.

“We are not saying where the drugs were found for operational reasons. We have carried out an initial trawl of the area and we are planning another,” he said.

“If there is anything else there we want to be sure we get to it and nobody else does.”

The Customs cutter, Suirbheir, an anti-smuggling patrol boat based at Centrepoint Marina in Cork, is making its way to the scene of the find.

The two bales, which weighed 60kg and are believed to have street value of €420,000, were handed over to the Customs and gardaí.

Customs officers believe from the condition of the cannabis, which was well wrapped, that it had only been in the sea for a short time.

Mr Harkin said: “The skipper of the trawler had immediately advised Customs of the find and Customs officers and Gardaí met the trawler on its return to port.”