Sixth arrest made in £1.3 million pound cannabis bust in County Down

Q Newsdesk

Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton said: “This seizure of herbal cannabis yesterday (Friday 30 March) is estimated to be worth in the region of £1.3 million.  

“It is the  largest seizure for some time and we are delighted to have been able to take these drugs out of circulation, in collaboration with our partner agencies.

The cannabis was intercepted and five people (three men aged 32,37 and 72 and two women both aged 68) were arrested by PSNI officers following an operation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland working with AGS and Irish customs officials under the banner of the Cross Border Joint Agency Task Force.

The drugs were found concealed inside an industrial-sized fuel tank on a shipping pallet at a property in Dromore, County Down. A number of follow up searches and enquiries were subsequently carried out at other locations.

Detective Superintendent Bobby Singleton continued: “Cannabis can ruin lives and line the pockets of organised criminals. The combined hard work and dedication of the Task Force has gone a long way in helping us achieve our shared goal of keeping people safe.

“We are continuing to investigate but at the moment, we believe these drugs are linked to the activities of an organised crime group, operating in Northern Ireland.”

A sixth person, a 42 year old woman, has also been arrested on suspicion of a number of drugs charges.   She is currently in custody.