Cork heroin seizure worth €200,000 — man and woman arrested by Drugs Squad

Detectives seized 1.5kg of heroin in Blackrock, Cork, arresting a woman, 42, and a man, 60, in the city's biggest heroin bust since 2019.

Cork's biggest heroin seizure since 2019 as Drugs Squad strikes Blackrock

Gardaí have dealt what they believe is a significant blow to a drug-supply network in Cork after seizing 1.5kg of heroin with a street value of €200,000 and arresting two people, the Irish Times reports.

Detectives from the Cork City Divisional Drugs Squad moved at 11am on Tuesday, searching a property in the Blackrock area of Cork City. A woman aged 42 was arrested at the address, where the drugs were found. A 60-year-old man from Co Tipperary was arrested close to the scene in what gardaí described as an intelligence-led operation.

The woman was taken to the Bridewell Garda station; the man to Mayfield Garda station. Both are detained under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act, which permits gardaí to hold suspects for up to seven days before charging or releasing them.

A Garda source told the Irish Times the heroin was believed to have been destined for the Cork market, where more than 800 users of the drug are estimated to be active. "This is a significant seizure because we don't usually see this much heroin being brought to Cork in one go," the source said. "Couriers usually bring down smaller amounts, so this seizure takes a lot of heroin off the streets."

It is the largest heroin seizure in Cork since 2019, when officers intercepted 2.5kg of the drug — street value €350,000 — after stopping a courier who had arrived on a coach from Dublin.

The seized material has been sent to the Forensic Science Ireland laboratory in Dublin for purity analysis. Results will form part of a file being prepared by gardaí for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Source: Irish Times