Three men have been arrested by Galway Divisional Drug Squad in Doughiska, with a large quantity of hidden cocaine found nearby, including machinery for packaging drugs on an industrial scale.
Before 8am yesterday, Wednesday, morning, two teams of armed gardaí from the Armed Support Unit (ASU ) effected breaches into residences backed-up by around a dozen uniformed members who carried out targeted searches.
Initial searches of a number of residential properties resulted in approximately €9,000 worth of the Class A drug seized. A follow-up search of City Council-owned waste ground nearby yielded a larger, 2kg stash of cocaine worth up to €140,000.
In a statement, a Garda spokesperson said two men in their 20s, and one in his late teens, were arrested. The men are currently being detained at a Garda station in Co Galway under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking ) Act, 1996. They may be held for up to seven days.
The swoop was part of Operation Tara, an ongoing national drug interdiction operation designed to disrupt street-level drug dealing in cities, towns and villages.
A homemade cocaine press used to dry, compress and package blocks of cocaine was also seized.
“It’s early days in an ongoing investigation, and not the time for speculation,” said a Garda spokesperson, who confirmed specialist officers were involved.
The alleged proceeds of crime also fall under this operation, and drug squad officers involved in the Doughiska swoop also seized three Rolex wristwatches (one valued at €32,000 ), a Range Rover Discovery jeep, and around €2,500 in cash.
Local representative, Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF ), said he was deeply concerned about the raid on residences in Doughiska. He said although parts of the area had a poor reputation in years long past, it now has one of the lowest crime rates in the city, is thriving, and is earmarked for a slew of improved community infrastructure in the short and medium-term.
“I’m seriously concerned something like this is happening in Doughiska. The atmosphere in the local community is really positive and has been for some time. None of us want this happening here. We just have to let the guards do their jobs now, and get on with it,” he said.
