Three arrested after €700k cash and €30k worth of drugs seized

Gardaí have arrested three men after they intercepted a vehicle on Collins Avenue in Dublin nine with around €700,000 in cash and an estimated €30,000 worth of drugs.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) intercepted the car at around 6pm yesterday.

An initial search saw the Gardaí seize around €400,000 in cash and two men, aged 29 and 53, were arrested on suspicions of committing organised crime-related offences.

Subsequent raids on properties in Dublin and Meath with the help of Garda dog units, which yielded a further seizure of around €300,000 in cash.

As well as the cash, a quantity of drugs tablets with an estimated street value of €30,000, believed to be controlled drugs including cocaine and MDMA, was also seized during the raids.

A 22-year-old man was later arrested on drug trafficking charges and is currently being held in Ballymun Garda Station, while the other two men are being held in Raheny and Clontarf Garda Stations.

Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll said: "The seizure yesterday by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau of cash, believed to be associated with organised crime, to an estimated value of €700,000, bringing to over €2 million the amount of cash seized by GNDOCB so far this year, is an important achievement designed to impact significantly on particular OCGs."