Three loyalist suspects held in £250,000 drug swoop

THREE suspected loyalist paramilitaries were in Garda custody last night
after armed detectives seized cannabis resin worth almost £250,000.

The cannabis consignment, destined for the North, was seized by gardai and
customs officers after a tipoff from the RUC.

As a result of an RUC intelligence gathering operation, gardai from the
national drugs unit, backed up by the customs officials, set up an
interception operation in west Dublin.

They stopped two cars speeding through Lucan and found more than 20 kilos
of cannabis hidden in the vehicles.

Three men two from Belfast and one from Holywood, Co Down were arrested for
questioning under the drugs trafficking act.

The suspects were being quizzed at Santry and Whitehall Garda stations and
under the act can be detained without charge for up to seven days.

This is the first time gardai have uncovered evidence that loyalist
paramilitaries are directly using the Republic to smuggle cannabis into the
Northern market.

Gardai and the RUC have been aware for several years of links between
loyalist terror groups and Dublin crime gangs in setting up lucrative
crossborder cannabis smuggling routes.

But Garda sources said last night they were satisfied that there was no
Dublin crime link to the seized shipment.

One well known crossborder link to the loyalists was established by former
Dublin gangland boss Martin `The General' Cahill who was murdered two years
ago by republican gunmen.

Another connection was also set up by Newry drugs dealer Paddy Farrell who
was shot dead by his girlfriend in a house in Drogheda last month. The girl
then shot herself.

Late last night gardai, customs officials and the RUC were trying to
establish how the drugs were brought into the country and where the
consignment had been picked up by the three suspects in the cars.

The seizure is the latest success for the garda national drugs unit and the
customs national drugs team which have now built up a close working
relationship after an uneasy beginning to their combined operations.

Last month the national units seized a major cannabis consignment in
Glasnevin, Dublin, which they believe was set up overseas by members of the
gang responsible for the murder of Veronica Guerin seeking a new drug
smuggling route into the country from Holland.