Drugs worth [pounds]8m seized by gardai

Two men were arrested last night after gardai seized £8 million worth of
amphetamines and cocaine in Co Meath.

The seizure was made when gardai from the national drugs unit stopped a car
on the Dublin to Galway road at Enfield at about 7 p.m. An Irishman was
detained at the scene and a Dutch national suspected of involvement was
arrested at another location.

Both were in custody at Kells Garda station, where they can be held for an
initial 48 hours and up to seven days with judicial approval under drug
trafficking legislation.

About 100kg of the drugs were found in boxes in the car. Most were believed
to be amphetamines, which have a market value of about £80,000 a kilo. A
Garda source said there were about 4kg of cocaine, which can fetch from
£60,000 to £80,000 a kilo depending on purity. "The cocaine was probably
worth about £250,000," said the source.

Some 50 ecstasy tablets were also found in the car. Tests were being
carried out on the drugs last night.

A Garda team under the direction of Supt Kevin Carthy had been watching the
movements of a suspect in the case for some time.

Detectives moved last night, intercepting the car as it headed out of
Dublin in the direction of Galway.

The size of the haul indicates that a substantial portion of it was
destined for foreign markets.