GARDA SWOOP AFTER POUNDS 5M `DUCK'S HEAD' COCAINE HAUL

National Drugs Unit gardai searched a number of houses in north Dublin last
night after seizing a pounds 5m shipment of cocaine which had been hidden
in a consignment of fruit imported from Colombia.

Detectives found 52 kilo slabs of high quality cocaine concealed in three
fruit boxes after keeping the consignment under observation for 10 days.

The slabs were embossed with a duck's head, a logo unfamiliar to national
drugs unit detectives who believe most of the cocaine was destined for the
Christmas home market and the smuggling operation organised by a well known
Dublin north city crime gang.

Staff at a north county fruit distribution firm initially found the drugs
in a consignment of bananas and oranges that had arrived at Dublin port
from Colombia via Antwerp in Belgium.

The three boxes were due to have been collected but staff became suspicious
and when they opened the packages found a white powder substance. The Garda
were alerted. The packages had been wrapped in plastic and greased to avoid
detection by sniffer dogs.

Drugs Unit members and Santry gardai placed the consignment under
surveillance since the start of last week but when nobody came to collect
officers decided to move in yesterday afternoon.

Last night a number of homes in the north city were raided. Gardai are
satisfied the gang behind the operation has smuggled in drugs in the past
but are not aware yet if they used a similar method. The street value of
the shipment, which would probably have been diluted before sale, was
initially put conservatively at pounds 4.5m but detectives believe it could
be higher because of the drug's purity.

Gardai believe most of the haul was destined to be sold off to dealers in
consignments of two kilos each in the run up to Christmas but some of the
cocaine might have been sent on to criminals in Britain.

Last month gardai recovered four kilos of cocaine, worth up to pounds 1m on
the streets, after searching two catering fruit cocktail tins that had been
brought into Dublin airport by a Nigerian suspect on a flight from Madrid.

It was believed to have been one of several shipments smuggled into Dublin
in the past 18 months as the gang, comprised of Nigerians and South
Africans, used Ireland as a transit point for the European mainland and
Britain.

But a major portion of the November shipment had been intended for private
parties being held in the capital to coincide with the MTV awards concert.