Man arrested in Mitchelstown after €170k worth of cocaine seized by gardaí

This seizure is part of Operation Tara

Gardaí recovered cocaine worth about €170,000 in Mitchelstown after a search.

A man in his 30s has been arrested after cocaine worth an estimated €170,000 was seized in Mitchelstown.

As part of Operation Tara, gardaí stopped and searched a vehicle in the North Cork town on Monday.

During the search, they discovered the cocaine in the vehicle, with officers believing it to have a street value of €170k.

The man in his 30s was arrested at the scene and is currently detained in a Garda station in Cork.

The seizure is part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. 

According to a Garda spokesperson, the operation focuses on "disrupting, dismantling, and prosecuting drug trafficking networks at all levels — international, national, and local."

In particular, there is a focus on those involved in the "importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale, and supply of controlled drugs".

On Sunday, as part of the operation, seven litres of suspected THC oil was seized in Louth, with a teenage boy being arrested after he fled from gardaí.