Gardaí made a significant dent in the Midland’s drug trade after they seized an estimated 10 kgs of hashish following the search of a car in Glasson on Wednesday evening (August 22 ).
Following a surveillance operation, gardaí stopped a man whilst he was driving through the village at around 6pm, and recovered the contraband after a short search.
It is estimated the hashish (also known as cannabis resin ) has a street value of around €52,500.
The driver of the car, who is not known to the Gardaí, is in his 20s and has an address in County Roscommon.
Subsequent to his arrest, the driver was taken to Athlone Garda Station where he was held under Section 4 of the Drug Trafficking Act, which allows a suspect be held and questioned for 24 hours.
At time of going to press, it could not be confirmed whether Gardaí had applied to extend the suspect’s detention, but it is expected he will be released without charge while a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Under Irish law anyone convicted of possession of more than €13,000 worth of any drugs is liable for a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, although there is some scope for judicial discretion where there are “exceptional circumstances”.
