Gardai were last night questioning two Dublin Airport workers after officers seized cocaine worth more than €1million.
Sources have confirmed that two of the three men arrested are suspected of helping a gang smuggle previous shipments into Ireland. The pair are not Dublin Airport Authority staff but are employed by a company that provides a service there.
They both have airside security access and detectives suspect both men used that clearance to help smuggle drugs. The pair and another man were arrested following Monday’s seizure – part of an intelligence-led operation by the Garda National Drugs and organised Crime Bureau and Revenue Customs Service.
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It’s understood the drugs were seized shortly after a man landed at the airport on a flight from Germany and cops in that country provided key intelligence for the seizure.
A Garda spokesman said: “The seizure was made as a result of a joint operation conducted by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, Revenue’s Customs Service. Assistance was also provided by law enforcement agencies in Germany and South America.
“Three men were arrested in the environs of Dublin Airport by An Garda Siochana in connection with this seizure. They are currently being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at Blanchardstown and Coolock Garda Stations.”
All three can be held for up to a week. A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority said last night none of its staff was involved.
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Meanwhile, the cartel controlled by Daniel Kinahan has suffered another blow – after the same Garda unit seized almost €7million of his drugs in Co Kilkenny. The €6.9million haul of cannabis also confiscated on Monday, is one of the biggest of the year.
Sources have confirmed it belonged to the Kinahan mob. It’s understood the cartel had used two foreign nationals to set up a company specifically to smuggle drugs into Ireland. The business was set up in April and gardai believe other consignments made it through.
The cannabis was discovered in vacuum packed plastic bags stacked against the wall and ready for shipment. The people who leased out the premises where the seizure was made had no idea it was being used for criminality, sources said.
The two suspects can be detained for up to a week. Kinahan is now subject of an international crackdown that has seen him sanctioned by America and Dubai, where he is holed up.
Gardai have also locked up more than 70 of his henchmen and seized millions of euro of the gang’s cash
and drugs.
Read next:
Pair arrested over Lisa Thompson murder may have used home to store drugs
Man arrested after cocaine and cash seized in Dublin garda raid
Revenue officers seize cannabis hidden in food boxes on way to address in Dublin
Revenue officers seize over 89,000 cigarettes during Dublin sting
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