Update:
Tuesday, 10.30am – More details of the seizures have now been released.
On Wednesday last, 12th April the Divisional Drugs Unit carried out a search under warrant of a house in the Newmarket-on-Fergus area and suspected Cannabis Herb with an estimated street value of €2,200 was seized and a male in his 30’s was questioned in relation to the seizure.
On Thursday, 13th April the Divisional Drugs Unit carried out searches in the Shannon area. A house in Shannon was searched under warrant – during the course of the search approximately €4,500 worth of suspected Cocaine was seized. A male in his early 30’s was questioned in relation to this seizure.
On the same date members from the Drugs Unit located approximately €71,610 euros of suspected Cocaine in a wooded area in Shannon and during the course of a search of a house in the Sixmilebridge area approximately €5,500 of suspected Cocaine was also seized by the Unit.
Friday, 9.15pm – Gardaí in Clare have made a number of drugs seizures in recent days as part of Operation Tara.
Around €85,000 worth of cannabis, cocaine and tablets were recovered in a series of intelligence-led searches in the Shannon and Newmarket on Fergus areas. It’s understood that one of the detections is worth an estimated €75,000 and was made in the Shannon area.
Members of the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit, backed up officers from Shannon, Sixmilebridge and Newmarket on Fergus carried out a number of searches in recent days in the Shannon Garda district area.
A Garda drugs dog was also brought in to assist in the searches. A number of suspects have been interviewed however no arrests have been made. The Garda investigation is ongoing.
All the suspected controlled substances have been forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland for examination. Files will now be prepared for submission to the DPP for directions.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed: ”As part of Operation Tara Gardaí conducted searches at a number of properties in the Shannon District this week. During the course of the operation €85,000 of suspected drugs were seized. No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing.”
This seizures form part of Operation Tara an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on July 2, 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels – international, national, local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.