TWO HELD AFTER POLICE SWOOP ON DRUGS HAUL

TWO people were today being held by Gardai in Letterkenny following
the seizure of 1,000 ecstasy tablets.

The man and woman were detained following a surveillance operation in
the the town on Sunday night.

The pair, who are believed to be from the county, are being detained
at the local Garda station.

Meanwhile, cannabis resin and ecstasy tablets with an estimated street
value of pounds 500,000 were seized in Belfast yesterday.

A man and a woman were arrested during the drug squad
operation.

These recent seizures are the latest in a string of drug finds by the
police this year.

In June, the RUC seized cannabis worth more than pounds 500,000 when
they smashed an elaborate drugs factory near Dungannon.

In April, French police seized pounds 3m worth of cocaine and ecstacy
which they believe was heading for the Continuity IRA.

Last month, police in Antrim recovered heroin with a street value of
pounds 3,500 in the first seizure of the drug in the area and, days
before, eight people were arrested in Ballymena as part of a major
crackdown on the heroin trade.

In June, the RUC Drug Squad said it had had a successful year - with
seizures up 19% and totalling more than pounds 2m.

According to the Chief Constable's report, there were 1,588 drug
seizures in Northern Ireland during 1998-99.

The amount of cocaine seized has increased by more than 10 times, from
470gms to almost 5,000gms. The number of Ecstacy tablets almost
doubled from 85,600 to 163,026.

Heroine seizures also increased, although the levels of the drug
remain relatively low. Seizures of crack and LSD fell.

There were a total of 1,264 drug-related arrests during the year, a
20% increase on the previous 12 months.

Ken Wilkinson, spokesman for the PUP, said that he welcomed the drugs
finds and he congratulated the RUC.