€2m in drugs seized in operation spanning Carlow, Mayo, Longford and Louth

Gardaí and Revenue officers seized controlled drugs valued at more than €2 million during a coordinated operation that included a search in County Carlow, as part of the ongoing Operation Tara crackdown on organised crime.

Searches were carried out on 2 July and 8 July at five business premises and two residential premises in Castlebar, Longford, Drogheda and Carlow. The premises had been identified as being involved in the sale of vapes.

The operation resulted in the seizure of substantial quantities of cannabis-infused jellies, cannabis oil-infused vapes and ‘reefer’ cigarettes containing HHC and THC.

The searches involved personnel attached to the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the Customs Revenue Service, and Drug Units based in Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Kildare and Drogheda.

Two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested in Mayo and Longford as part of the investigation. They are being detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at Garda stations in the Midlands.

The seized substances will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. Investigations are ongoing.

The operation forms part of Operation Tara, the enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by the Garda Commissioner in July 2021, which targets drug trafficking networks at international, national and local level, covering importation, distribution, cultivation, production, and local sale and supply of controlled drugs.

Gardaí have warned that vapes and other products sold for public consumption that may be infused with suspected illegal cannabinoids — including THC, HHC and HHCP — can carry significant risks, particularly where consumers are unaware of the strength or potential effects of what they are taking. The HSE has said that emerging information from Irish hospitals has pointed to cases of regular cannabis smokers experiencing psychotic episodes as a possible result of vaping HHC.