Revenue seized more than 160kg of herbal cannabis valued at more than €3.1 million in four incidents during anti-drug trafficking operations at Dublin Airport in the past week.
Three of these seizures were against passengers who had disembarked flights from Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The largest of these seizures took place on Tuesday, April 21st, when Revenue detector dog Charlie assisted officers in locating 68.2kg of herbal cannabis in similar vacuum-packed packages within the baggage of two male passengers, aged in their 20s and 40s.
Their flight had originated from Bangkok, Thailand, via a connecting flight in Doha. The single seizure is believed to be worth as much as €1.3 million in the drugs trade.
On Saturday, as part of routine operations, Revenue officers found around 35.2kg of herbal cannabis concealed in vacuum packed packages within the baggage of a woman (30s), who had disembarked a flight originating from Doha.
On Wednesday, a further 35.2kg of herbal cannabis was found in the baggage of another woman, in her 30s, who had also flown from Doha.
On Thursday, a male in his 20s was caught travelling from Thailand with nearly 22kg of the same illegal drugs in his bags, by detector dog Dara.
The passengers involved in the four incidents were all arrested by An Garda Síochána under drug trafficking legislation and have since been charged.
“These back-to-back seizures highlight the vigilance and professionalism of our officers,” a spokesperson for Revenue said.
“We remain committed to protecting the public and disrupting criminal activity at every opportunity.”
The investigations are part of ongoing Revenue operations targeting organised crime. Members of the public with information on the importation, sale and supply of illegal drugs have been urged to contact revenue at its confidential line on 1800 295 295.
