British-Chinese gang suspected in Cork 84kg major cannabis haul

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A British-Chinese gang is suspected of being behind a major consignment of cannabis herb – almost 84kgs - seized in Cork on Monday.

The garda investigation is still trying to establish more details about the outfit, and officers are consulting with British police.

A man, a Chinese national, was arrested following a controlled delivery of the drugs to a warehouse facility outside the city.

The operation was a joint investigation by An Garda Síochána – comprising the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit - and Revenue Customs.

Gardaí suspect the shipment of cannabis originated from the US. Both gardaí and European agencies have identified the US and Canada as source countries for much of the cannabis arriving into Ireland and Europe generally.

This is stemming from the scale of cannabis herb being produced in North America, with the trade legal at a federal level in Canada and legal in around half of the US states.

The EU Drugs Agency reported last month said that “increasing amounts” of cannabis herb were being trafficked into Europe, “particularly” from Canada and the US.

The man arrested in Cork is aged in his 30s and is being held under Section 2 of Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

Gardaí and Revenue have put an estimated street valuation of the cannabis seized at almost €1.7m.

It is suspected the gang intended to transport the consignment across the border into the North and then, by ferry, over to Scotland.