Local gardaí in Carlow seize 12kg of heroin worth an estimated €1.7m

One woman arrested and house searched in follow-up after gardaí stopped and searched a car in the town and recovered suspected heroin and cannabis

Some of the drugs seized by gardaí in Carlow town on Sunday. 

Local gardaí in Carlow have made a significant seizure of heroin, with 12kg of the drug discovered in a house in the town.

It is understood that a Polish organised crime group is behind the importation and distribution of the heroin.

The seizure, with an estimated street value of €1.7m, was made by Carlow Drugs Unit in a follow-up search after members stopped a car in the town and found a smaller amount of heroin and cannabis.

The 12kg haul is thought to be the largest seizure of heroin since May 2025, when two consignments of around 20kg each were made in separate operations in Dublin and Meath.

€1.7m heroin seizure 

In a statement, Garda HQ said: “As part of an ongoing investigation targeting the sale and supply of drugs, gardaí from Carlow Crime Functional Area seized a substantial quantity of illegal drugs, with an estimated street value of more than €1.7m on Sunday, February 8.” 

The statement said the Carlow Drugs Unit stopped and searched a car in the town and recovered suspected heroin and cannabis with an estimated street value of more than €136,000. It said: 

In a follow-up search of a house in the town, 12kg of suspected heroin, with an estimated street value of €1.68m, cannabis herb and resin with a value of almost €50,000 and alprazolam and zopiclone tablets, were seized. 

Alprazolam is an anti-anxiety benzodiazepine, while zopiclone is a strong sedative. 

While they are also prescribed medication, they are common street drugs.

Woman detained at garda station  

The statement said that a woman, aged in her 30s, was arrested and detained at a nearby garda station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

This allows for a maximum detention period of seven days on foot on successive applications to the courts by senior officers.

The statement said that all seized items will be submitted to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. Garda HQ said investigations are ongoing.

On May 27 last year, Revenue officers seized 20kg of heroin, and 37kg of cocaine, in an operation in Co Meath.

On May 2, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau intercepted a vehicle in Coolock, north Dublin and discovered 21kg of heroin.

• Cormac O’Keeffe, Security Correspondent