€800,000 drug seizure in Cornafulla

Close to 1,000 cannabis plants have been seized in South Roscommon with a street value of €800,000. The haul was discovered after gardai swooped on an industrial unit in Cornafulla yesterday, during a number of planned searches as part Operation Nitrogen targeting the cultivation of cannabis. A man was arrested at the scene and is currently being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 at Roscommon garda station. He can be held for up to 48 hours. He is believed to be a foreign national of Asian origin. The operation was part of a coordinated planned search by the Roscommon Longford Drugs unit, the Detective unit in Roscommon and uniformed Gardai in the division, backed up by the Garda National Drugs Unit. In all, 5,800 cannabis plants with a total approximate street value of €4.6 million were seized around the country yesterday (Thursday) following raids of growhouses in Longford, Louth, Wexford and Mayo. Eight people in total have been arrested. Examinations of all the premises concerned are still underway and investigations are continuing.