A man carrying an estimated £2 million of heroin in a rucksack was arrested in a phone box in the centre of Dublin yesterday morning. The man, aged 42, was being questioned last night in Pearse Street station. He was followed from Busaras station by undercover gardai from the Garda National Drugs Unit. It is believed he met another man at the bus station and walked to wards O'Connell Bridge. He was arrested on Westmoreland Street about 9.30 a.m.
The man is believed not to have a criminal record and to have been living in London for some time. The gardai did not announce the seizure officially until late yesterday as they were carrying out inquiries in Britain. No follow-up arrests were made.
It is believed the heroin was destined for west Dublin and the arrest was made as a result of an operation against another suspected drug dealer. Gardai found up to 4kg of heroin in the rucksack, with a potential street value of up to £2 million.
Following the weekend seizure of 22kg of heroin found in three cars which had been ferried from Britain, five people have been charged. In August, heroin worth an estimated £3.5 million was seized near Lusk, Co Dublin. The value of the hauls in the last three months is almost three times the amount of heroin seized in 1997.
Recent seizures indicate larger shipments are being moved into the State, explaining the plentiful supply of cheap heroin on the streets.
