The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Gardaí bust €350k cannabis operation
Sophisticated operation in isolated rural cottage
GARDAÍ uncovered a massive haul of cannabis when they swooped on an isolated north Kerry cottage on Monday. The growing operation is seen as yet another indication of the extent to which criminals are using the cover of rural Kerry locations to produce drugs.
Cannabis with an estimated street value of €350,000 was seized by uniformed gardaí from Listowel when they busted the ‘growhouse’ near the village of Moyvane on Monday. The haul included 313 plants valued at €250,000 and dried herb with a street value of €100,000.
A man, aged in his 60s, who was arrested at the scene was questioned at Listowel Garda Station and released later on Monday. A file is being prepared for the DPP.
The seizure is the latest, and biggest, of a series of successes for gardaí in the district targeting the sale and supply of drugs. They described the cultivation operation as a ‘sophisticated’ one, with special lighting, heating and watering system employed to maximise growth.
LISTOWEL gardaí busted a massive cannabis-growing operation in a raid on a rural cottage on Monday that netted plants and dried cannabis worth an estimated €350,000.
It’s the latest and by far the largest seizure in a series of successes targeting the supply of controlled substances by gardaí in the district in recent weeks and months.
313 cannabis plants that were growing under lights, a heating and watering system were seized inside a cottage close to the village of Moyvane on Monday afternoon.
The raid sent shockwaves through the community where locals were utterly unaware of the cannabis production facility in their midst.
Gardaí estimate the 313 plants are worth a combined €250,000 – the monetary value of the drug they could ultimately produce on the street.
Meanwhile, €100,000 of dried herb, ready for market, was also seized at the scene along with other paraphernalia associated with cultivation.
A man aged in his 60s was arrested at the scene and taken to Listowel Garda Station where he was detained under the provisions of section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and questioned, before his release on Monday afternoon.
A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions on the matter.
It’s not as yet clear if the drugs were intended for the local market or being produced for sale outside the district. Gardaí in Listowel told The Kerryman the raid was on the back of ‘ongoing investigations targeting the sale and supply of drugs in North Kerry’. They described the operation they uncovered as ‘sophisticated’.
The scene was preserved and examined over Monday by forensic officers.