€10m drug seizure a blow to Kinahans
KINAHAN CARTEL’S DRUG DEAL WITH PENGUIN SMASHED »»13 arrested in joint operation by garda and dutch officers »»€10million total haul of cocaine and cannabis in massive crime blitz
THE ruthless Kinahan cartel joined forces with George “The Penguin” Mitchell to buy €7million in drugs destined to wreak havoc across Ireland, the Irish Mirror has learned.
Limerick criminals were also involved in the massive cannabis and cocaine haul seized by gardai in Ashbourne, Co Meath.
And in an astonishing blitz against the Kinahan gang, officers here and Dutch police:
■ captured more drugs and weapons in Dublin’s south inner city
■ seized 175kg of cocaine, cannabis, cash, computers and encrypted phones in Amsterdam, and
■ arrested 13 people in total – five here and eight in The Netherlands.
The value of the drugs found in Dublin and Holland came to an estimated €3million, bringing the total haul to €10million. The Meath drugs were seized at two industrial units in Ashbourne – one weighing in at 140kg and the second 110kg – on Wednesday night.
A source told the Irish Mirror: “The Kinahans, George ‘The Penguin’ Mitchell and a major Limerick gang all put money into it. It’s not just the Kinahans, The Penguin has got involved along with these Limerick criminals.
“It’s a conglomerate of Ireland’s biggest criminals who got together to buy this stuff.” Mitchell has been based in Amsterdam for decades and gardai say he is one of Europe’s biggest drug dealers.
He is believed to have made millions from dealing and the 66-year-old has been linked to several murders.
The drugs were found when industrial storage units were raided by specialist Garda officers working to combat traffickers and organised crime.
Two men in their 30s were arrested at the scene of the first raid and the larger bust took place later at a second location a few kilometres outside the town.
It was the first blow in a bruising 24 hours for Ireland’s No1 drug runners as the Kinahans suffered further losses in Dublin and the Netherlands.
Dutch police arrested three Irishmen who were being quizzed over the Meath seizure yesterday along with five other men as part of the international probe.
They also seized 175kg of cocaine, cannabis, vacuum-packed cash, computers, encrypted phones and bitcoin.
And in a third blow to the cartel another three people were arrested in Dublin’s south inner city under Operation Thistle, which targets the Kinahan network on the ground.
A quantity of drugs, believed to be heroin, was seized along with a number of weapons and suspected replica fire-
arms, gardai said. Several thousand euro in cash was also found.
Speaking about that raid a Garda spokesman said: “There were nine searches carried out in the south inner city.
“I understand three people have been arrested and further quantities of drugs have been seized and firearms, possibly, a replica.
“The arrests are connected with street operations of the same organised crime group that may be involved in the Ashbourne [drug seizures].”
Assistant Commissioner John O’driscoll, who was in The Hague for meetings yesterday with Dutch counterparts and others at Europol, said a number of organised gangs in a number of countries may be linked to the wider operation.
He added: “The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has brought to fruition an operation targeting drug trafficking, which has an international dimension. This has resulted in a significant seizure of cannabis herb and cocaine and the arrest of a number of suspects.”
He also revealed the Irish and Dutch ends of the operation were co-ordinated. The raids began on Wednesday and continued on Thursday. The Kinahan crime cartel has operations in Spain, Ireland and other countries and has been embroiled in a bloody feud with the Hutch gang, which has claimed 12 lives so far.
Gardai have previously said the unprecedented spate of underworldordered killings was being directed from Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said yesterday: “The illicit drugs trade is a highly destructive international business and I am pleased to see An Garda Siochana continuing to partner effectively with law enforcement in other jurisdictions.
“This seizure is very significant and results from a great deal of painstaking work. I want to congratulate all those involved for their professionalism and dedication to duty.
“The effective policing operation will prevent these drugs from reaching the streets and harming individuals, families and communities.”
Two men in their 30s are due to appear at a sitting of Trim District Court at 9am this morning charged in relation to yesterday’s drug seizure.