€8m drug haul 'frightening sign of gangland activity'

The discovery of cocaine worth €8m and two guns in a suburban “drugs factory” was branded a frightening exposure of Ireland’s criminal underworld tonight.

Detectives uncovered the operation during a planned raid on a semi-detached home in a quiet neighbourhood in Terenure, south Dublin, last night.

The massive drugs haul – thought to be the largest this year – was being linked to investigations into major crime gangs in neighbouring areas, Crumlin and Drimnagh.

No arrests have been made.

A Garda spokesman said the cocaine could have a street value of up to €8.5m, subject to analysis. The two firearms were described as semi-automatic handguns.

A cocaine-mixing plant was uncovered inside the house on Corrib Road.

The search operation was carried out by officers from Kevin Street station and gardaí from Terenure as part of a continuing investigation into organised crime.

Aengus O Snodaigh, Sinn Féin justice spokesman and TD for Dublin South Central, said the seizure would be a significant blow to a major crime gang.

“The constituency I represent has been ravaged by drugs and drug-related gun crime for many years,” he said.

“Residents in many estates are living in a constant state of fear and intimidation from these drug dealers and gangsters.”

He also warned against complacency in the fight against organised crime.

“This, no doubt, only represents a fraction of the drugs coming into the country,” he added.

Catherine Byrne, Fine Gael’s drugs spokeswoman, described the operation as a frightening sign of the level of activity of gangland criminals.

“The street value of these drugs and the sophisticated operation raided by the gardaí shows how lucrative this dirty business is for criminal gangs,” she said.

“This is a frightening sign of the activities of these criminals. These gangs don’t care how many lives they ruin or who gets caught in the crossfire in their violent drug empires.”

Ms Byrne said it was also a sad fact that young people are being led into drugs gangs in the areas where they are prevalent.

“Only planned Garda operations like this one can bring them down,” she added.