Cocaine worth €8.1 million seized, man arrested, in Co Laois

Gardaí seized €8.1 million worth of cocaine and arrested a man during a raid in Co Laois on Tuesday.

A residential address and lands were searched as part of Operation Tara and ongoing investigations targeting organised crime.

Some 16kg of cocaine, valued at approximately €8.1 million, subject to analysis, were recovered along with a number of electronic devices.

A man in his 30s was arrested and is currently being detained at a Garda station in Co Laois.

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The drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis, and investigations are ongoing.

Operation Tara, which was launched in 2021, is a Garda strategy to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drugs trafficking networks.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland, head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said: “An Garda Síochána will continue to focus our resources on those who collaborate with and facilitate organised crime. We are determined to continue dismantling drug trafficking routes into Ireland and will continue doing our part to keep our communities safer.”