Four men were arrested following the seizure of an AK47 assault rifle and drugs valued at €1.4 million in separate operations in Dublin. Conor Lally, Crime Correspondent, reports.
The drugs were seized on Thursday night after a planned search operation in the Carrickmines area of south Dublin.
Gardaí from Blackrock drug unit backed by their colleagues in Dundrum searched a house on Glenamuck Road, Carrickmines, following a surveillance operation against suspected drug dealers from the area.
The search yielded 13kg of cocaine and 0.5kg of heroin. Depending on purity levels, the drugs have an estimated street value of about €1.4 million.
Three men who were at the house when gardaí moved in were arrested. The men, aged 41, 45 and 46, live locally.
Garda sources said one of the men has long been regarded as a drug dealer supplying the south Dublin and north Wicklow drugs market. The other two arrests were described as being "less significant".
The men were taken to Dundrum and Blackrock Garda stations. One of the men appeared before the courts last night and was remanded in custody to appear before the courts on Wednesday. The other two have been released without charge. A file on them is being prepared for the DPP.
In an unrelated Garda operation, a 22-year-old man was found in possession of an AK47 on Camden Street in Dublin's south inner city after he was stopped at about 9pm on Thursday when a passing uniformed Garda patrol become suspicious.
Gardaí searched a holdall bag he was carrying and found the gun. Two magazines which hold ammunition for the gun were also found. One was full while the other was empty.
The arrested man, who gardaí believe has links to the INLA, was taken to Harcourt Terrace Garda station, where he was still being detained last night under Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act.