Gardaí have released new images of drugs and cashed seized in the Netherlands as part of their joint international operation targeting organised crime.
Eight people were arrested by Dutch police yesterday, while gardaí arrested two others following the discovery of drugs worth around €6m in Ashbourne, County Meath.
Three other men were also arrested in Dublin 8 as part of Operation Thistle, targeting a well-known drug gang in Dublin.
On the Dutch side of the investigation, police uncovered 175kg of cocaine, vacuum-packed cash and bitcoin servers.
Drugs seized in the Netherlands, 17-11-2017. Image: An Garda Síochána
Drugs seized in the Netherlands, 17-11-2017. Image: An Garda Síochána
Bitcoin servers seized in the Netherlands, 17-11-2017. Image: An Garda Síochána
Of the eight people arrested, three were Irish. Two of the men were from Limerick while another was from Dublin.
Speaking from Interpol headquarters in Amsterdam yesterday, Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll said the operation had a strong international dimension.
“We have been engaged in liaising with a number of law enforcement agencies,” he said.
“There is a realisation across the member states of Europe in particular that when we combine our information we can have a greater impact on these crime gangs.”
He said garda units will continue to target, "a range of criminality associated with organised crime."
The two men arrested in County Meath yesterday appeared in court this morning.
They were both refused bail this morning and remanded in custody for a week.
