10.6 million euro worth of cocaine has been seized in the South East

Over 440 thousand euro worth of contraband has been seized in Dublin, the midlands, Kilkenny, Shannon Airport and Rosslare Europort.

Over 16.5 kilos of herbal cannabis and other drugs were discovered during operations over the past week. More than 23 thousand cigarettes, 4.5 kilos of tobacco, and 183 counterfeit items were also seized. The counterfeit items include brands such as Adidas, Dior and Armani. It comes as 10.6 million euro worth of cocaine has been seized in the South East, after a heavy goods vehicle was intercepted on the M9. It follows ongoing investigations into organized crime in the area. A series of searches were carried out yesterday by Gardaí from the National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau and Waterford Drug and Crime Units, as part of Operation TARA, and ongoing investigations into organised crime in the locality. It included the interception of a heavy goods vehicle on the M9 motorway in County Kilkenny, and the search of businesses and a residential address in Waterford. During the operation, 152 kilograms of cocaine valued at around 10.6 million euro, was discovered in what officers have described as 'a sophisticated vehicle concealment'. A 60-year-old man has since been arrested and is currently detained at a Garda Station in the Eastern Region. The operation was supported by Revenue Customs Service, the Garda Dog Unit and the Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit.