Following a planned search of two vehicles, four people were arrested and cocaine worth €2 million was seized by Garda

GARDAI have seized weapons, cocaine and cannabis worth €2 million in a major organized crime operation.

Police officers working as part of Operation Tara arrested four men in the “significant” operation.

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Following an ongoing investigation targeting organized crime activity known as Operation Tara, the Garda National Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau intercepted two vehicles in the Finglas area of ​​Dublin at around 4pm.

As a result, Garda, using the Garda Dog Unit and the Divisional Drugs Unit, carried out planned searches of addresses in Kilkenny, Waterford, Tallaght and Ashbourne.

During the course of the search, Gardai found and seized three Glock handguns, a replica handgun, 28.5 kilograms of cocaine worth around €2 million and 1 kilo of cannabis herb worth around €20,000.

Gardai also seized a hydraulic drug press, a quantity of mixing agents, drug mixing paraphernalia, €18,000 cash and several communications devices.

All seized drugs are sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.

Four men, aged 55, 32, 27 and 22, were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and held at Garda stations in Dublin and Meath.

Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly, the senior officer in charge of organized crime investigations, said: “This significant intelligence operation by the Garda National Drugs & Organized Crime Bureau, supported by colleagues from Dublin, Waterford, Meath and Kilkenny, demonstrates the inseparable Connection between illegal firearms and drug trafficking.

“We know that these types of deadly weapons are used by organized criminal groups to intimidate, maim and kill. Suppressing access to illegal firearms is an absolute priority for An Garda Síochána.”

Meanwhile, two men were arrested and around €30,000 of cocaine seized following a “dangerous driving accident” in Co Louth on Friday evening.

When patrolling gardai stopped a car in the Ferdia Park area of ​​Ardee and chatted with the two male occupants at around 9.30pm, it accelerated away from the scene.

The car crashed into the rear of an official Garda vehicle, causing “significant” damage.

During the high speed multi-unit chase, officers observed a package being thrown from the vehicle in the Corbollis area on the N52.

This package was later seized and Garda seized suspected cocaine worth approximately €30,000.

The containment operation ended on the N52 at Clonkeehan after gardaí intervened to stop the vehicle in question, with no injuries reported.

Two men, aged between 60 and 40, were arrested by Gardai and are both currently being held at a Garda station in County Louth under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The seized drugs will be taken to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.