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NO ARRESTS HAVE yet been made in connection with the cannabis seizure made by gardaí yesterday – estimated to be worth €37.5 million.
The 1,800 kilos seizure was made at Dublin Port yesterday because of collaboration efforts between Revenue officers and An Garda Síochána, and gardaí said today that there was an “international context” to the investigation.
“I don’t think any one is in any doubt that organised crime in Ireland and international level have a significant capacity, and the task for all of us is to match that with expertise and combine expertise of the state agencies to achieve this result,” Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll told reporters at a press conference today.
Liam Irwin from the Revenue Commissioners put the size of this seizure into context:
What we have here today is more than the entire cannabis seizures for 2015 and 2016.
“Once they’ve gone for analysis of quality and content, they’ll be stored at a secure location, they may be required as evidence depending on how investigations proceed, and they’re securely destroyed.”
As of yet there have been no arrests. “That’s not something you’d expect at this stage – it just arrived in a container there was nobody accompanying it,” says Irwin.
“There’s a significant international context to this, so we’re not in a position to comment on that,” said O’Driscoll when asked if the shipment arrived from a European Union port.
“It was concealed in tractor parts – quite a sophisticated concealment. That’s part of the work that needs to be done in finding out what it was and where it was,” said Irwin in response to a question from TheJournal.ie.
Something like 10,000 containers arrive a week so it really was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Yesterday, Tánaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald praised the work of Revenue and gardaí: “Week in, week out, the gardaí and customs work very closely in trying to prevent the importation of illicit drugs into the country and they have many successes.
“This seizure in particular, demonstrates their determination and resourcefulness in going after the activities of drugs gangs who seek to profit from causing such misery in communities through their deadly trade.”
With reporting from Christina Finn.
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Why not sell it to a country that has legal use of marijuana? Use that money then for something positive.
Where can we buy these tractor parts? I’m asking for a friend
Now that’s thinking outside the box. It’s there any legal reason this cannot be done?!
Seriously good idea. Or to certain American states. At a lower than estimated retail price though.
I’m pretty sure the government would be breaking the law selling it. It’s still a great idea if a legal loophole could be found. Or just make it legal and taxable
@Oliver Cullen: there’s no way in hell that after analysis and quality is proven that our lads are going to just burn €5m – €10m worth of perfectly good cannabis!!
Oliver, they’d have to make sure it’s not tainted or they’d have a nice law suit on their hands.
Pharmaceutical companies will b eyeing it up maybe since it supposedly cures cancer.just a thought
The lettuce those places sell is a lot better.
Fair point but there may be issues with insuring the purity/integrity of the whole shipment. Imagine if it were bags of loose neurofin tablets, they would still have to be destroyed.
Excellent idea, however with no quality control the buyer wouldnt really know what they’re getting, and nobody wants to be sitting on 30m worth of hay.
More importantly where are they burning it
Just make it legal and take it away from the gangsters. I don’t like the stuff myself but it seems ridiculous and costly for it to be illegal and could boost exchequer funds.
@Deborah Behan: Sounds like common sense Debs, we don’t do that here and sadly it’ may be destroyed?
@Stephen murphy: Time to Close this Open Border EU ,for good.
Good idea or hand it over to the medical community to help with research on the medical benefits etc – if the supply is tainted just don’t use it but if decent quality it could be used in so many tests rather than just destroying it
If it was made legal in Ireland farmers wouldn’t be able to use it to smuggle tractor parts
Hookers and cocaine.
Thank the baby Jesus someone stopped this madness! Can’t wait to go out tonight, binge drink on alcohol, spend a shitload of money I don’t have, get irrationally upset about several things and say things I don’t mean, fall around the place, spill drinks on myself and others, start a row, get sick everywhere and feel horrific tomorrow. Sambuca and vodka are so nice though and I love getting plastered. Imagine if I’d gotten hold of some marijuana for 50 quid, stayed in tonight with a few good friends, rolled a joint, gotten stoned, watched cartoons and eaten a whole packet of haribos with the munchies. I’d feel… normal tomorrow and be in a good mood. Yep. Definitely cracking down on the right stuff here. Gardai & govt 1 Common Sense 0. Victory for the masses.
@Rachel: you should go and lie down, it sounds like you’ve had a bit too much to think lol
@Rachel:
You make it sound like you have only two options when it comes to having a good night, get plastered or get high.
Nonetheless cannabis should be legalised
Someone didn’t get paid.
Can you imagine if they decided to burn it? People in Towns in and around the area will all get so high…:-)
Did they really get the new gang unit In to pose with that huge medicine find to make it look like they done something?? Or were they actually involved?
That one seizure matches are the seizures for 2 years, just highlights how much is passing through and how they re loosing the war badly.
Look at those hard looking Gardai wasting their time protecting us from getting stoned.
How about we just legalise it, tax and control the market and stop this insanity !
Yeah just like cigarettes are legal and taxed and nobody has ever smuggled any of them into this country……….
@Larry Doyle: If they face reality and allow personal/club grows, that’s never going to be an issue.
I agree but that’s a big If
Yeah but the thing is if they are finding shipments this big how many get through a week. This is not a one off.
This is no way a blow to the cartel, it came from South Africa, it would of cost the cartel about €20.000, they won’t be to bothered, same again next week, and the week after
Who values this, good luck trying to get €37.5 million!
So hash is now €20,833 a kilo, while gold is €36,309 a kilo. I had no idea smoking spliffs was such an expensive past time!
I always thought them farmers were wayy too mellow. That explains why there were only one or two Garda at the protests ;). But on a serious note, why not use the stuff to extract oil for medicinal use ? If the haul is going to be incinerated it could be put to some good usage.
I can’t understand why no one was arrested, surely they could have tracked it and made a few arrests?
Is it just me or were they too quick to fall in for a photo opportunity?
My tractor is badly in need of some spare parts. Hopefully they’ll be selling these on at a reasonable price.
The price of a joint will be going up for the next few months.
@Barry C Mc Govern: no it won’t! It will be as expensive as it always is, no more no less
Love to be in the area the day they burn that. Hire a hotair balloon and literally float above the chimney stack .
On a serious note tho @ Oliver Cullen is spot on. Why not see if it can be resold to a country were it is legal
There is enough brick weed there to build a house.
lol – a kilo of this manky soap bar is €1400. Less if buying larger quantities.
It’s at the very max a €2.5m haul.
Are they breaking it down into 5 spots or something?
Are we supposed to be impressed by this haul or something? Every way you look at it, this is such a waste; time, resources, good quality marijuana. Why the stupid fuss about an extremely useful plant and herb that our creator gave us for mankind’s benefit. We should be growing this legally all over the place. We could extract it’s essential oil with serious medical benefits against pretty much any known disease. Non toxic. Non addictive. No dangerous side effects. Not liver toxic unlike all pharmaceutical drugs. Superior quality paper, clothing and bio-degrabable fibres are among it’s other uses. It’s hard to think we are serious about saving the rain forests and the environment when this is criminalized. For those that are saying that using it recreationively is the problem, take a long hard look at cigarettes and spirits which are perfectly legal. Methinks it doesn’t make any sense, but lets clap the backs of all the garda who created the photo shoot for a job well done.
@Ian Oh: “It’s hard to think we are serious about saving the rain forests and the environment when this is criminalized.”
Fantastic way of summing it up, shows the complete lack of logic behind their decisions.
The one thing I’d add to your post, is how enforcing laws like this is impossible. The fact that they believe they can, just pushes otherwise law abiding citizens, to dislike police/government over their illogical behaviour.
@Wesley Moore: Totally agree. Politicians and law makers need to listen to the voice of the people, the ones you are talking about: Law abiding citizens who are tired of illogical decisions and foolish laws just for the sake of power and control.
I personally know several who have beaten cancer using this as their therapy (amongst other non mainstream things) These people refused radiation and chemo when they researched the risks and the damage it would do to them. They realization that they would just be a wreck afterwards with no life quality anymore caused them to look for something less toxic and more appropriate. I have found it very interesting that when I ask these people: “were you not afraid to use it because its illegal ?”, without exception and without hesitating to think, they all answer similarly along the lines: I’m a law abiding citizen, but when the laws don’t make any sense or serve my best interests anymore, they are meaningless to me and I don’t care what the consequences are. I’m gonna use it. Sums it all up really!
37.5 million . Love the estimated street value !
Why not use it to make it hash browns
Could it not be made into oil for medicinal use ?
My tractor is broken
I’d say that there is aproximatly 1k of high quality weed. The other 1799 kg is bits of Nintendo game boy. Bits of Action Man. Dog $h1t. Boot polish. Tesco bags etc. That is Soapbar. It will make a great fire.
Weed and soap bar are 2 different things…
(they will be stored in a secure location) ya right…..
lol… Am I Bad because the first thing I noticed were the Two pop up adverts at the Back ?…lol
Enough already with this crap … I personally don’t use or want it .. but if Adults do let them have it and remove the criminal element from it …The only Illegal thing about this should be Driving while High on it …. that would empty over two thirds of the Prisons and prevent another two thirds of people that are defo gonna use it going to Jail in the first place.
BUt Hey what do I know pfmpe
@Vincent Byrne: There have been multiple tests where they compared drink to pot and coke. Pot made people more cautious and they drove slower..
But, it’s something I’d happily trade. If they’ll face reality and permit it’s use, I’d happily cycle instead (which is what I’m doing recently).
Cant understand why they couldnt the load to its destination and make arrests…its stupid just grabing the load wheres our undercover cops..duh
It is usual brought to one of the peat power stations in the midlands at night and burnt straight away.
I don’t think there is any doubt that the Govts mis-use of the police is creating a very profitable market through prohibition , they caught one shipment out of 10,000 containers a week … The gangs involved hedge their bets , one container might get caught but the other 2 will get through ! ..,, ejits!
Oh John Dear
Who valued this heist, how well do they know the value of it!!
No don’t sell it.destroy it live on tv and laugh the whole way through the broadcast.
Sure isn’t tractors used to carry grass?
More bang bangs on the head of this find?
have your say