Case No. 0349Possession of controlled drugs · Co. Cork · 1 Sep 2026
€210,000 heroin seized and two arrested in Cork City under Operation Tara
On 1 September 2026, Gardaí seized 1.5 kg of suspected heroin with an estimated street value of €200,000 to €210,000 at a woman's home in the Blackrock area of Cork City during an intelligence-led operation under Operation Tara. A 42-year-old woman was arrested at the property and a 60-year-old man from Co Tipperary was arrested after a stop and search of a vehicle a short distance away. Both were detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 on suspicion of possessing drugs for sale or supply, and the heroin was sent to Forensic Science Ireland for purity analysis. Investigations were ongoing as of 2 September 2026, with no charges yet laid.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested2 Sep
4 reports - Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- 1.5 kg of suspected heroin with an estimated street value of €200,000 to €210,000 was seized at a woman's home in the Blackrock area of Cork City.
- A 42-year-old woman was arrested at the property and a 60-year-old man from Co Tipperary was arrested after a stop and search of a vehicle a short distance away.
- Approximately €13,000 in cash, a further €1,950, and drug paraphernalia were recovered during a warrant search of a premises.
- Gardaí believe the heroin was destined for the Cork market and this is the biggest heroin seizure in Cork since 2019, when 2.5 kg worth €350,000 was intercepted.
- Where
- The woman was taken to Bridewell Garda station and the man to Mayfield Garda station, though one source places the man at Bridewell.
- When
- The operation was carried out on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
- Investigation
- The intelligence-led operation was conducted under Operation Tara by the Divisional Drugs Unit, Southern Regional Drugs Unit, and ASU Cork City, with 60 gardaí involved.
- The suspected heroin was sent to Forensic Science Ireland for purity analysis, with results to be included in a file prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Both are detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996, which allows up to seven days before charge or release, though one source states the man was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
- Charges
- Both were arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs for sale or supply.
- Other details
- A related search at a halting site in the Mahon area seized weapons, €6,000 in cash, small quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, e-scooters, and two caravans, and a man in his 20s was arrested for suspected drug dealing.
- NSPCA inspectors removed 12 dogs, one horse, and one pony believed to be neglected.
53 statements extracted from the articles
- what1.5 kg of heroin was seized at a woman's home in the Blackrock area of Cork City (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe heroin had a street value of €200,000 (irishtimes.com)
- whatA 42-year-old woman was arrested at her home (irishtimes.com)
- whatA 60-year-old man from Co Tipperary was arrested close to the scene (irishtimes.com)
- whatGardaí believe the heroin was destined for the Cork market (irishtimes.com)
- whatThis is the biggest heroin seizure in Cork since 2019 (irishtimes.com)
- whatIn 2019, 2.5 kg of heroin with a street value of €350,000 was intercepted in Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whatIn the 2019 seizure, a courier was stopped after getting off a coach from Dublin (irishtimes.com)
- whatA woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s were arrested (irishmirror.ie)
- what1.5 kg of suspected heroin with an estimated street value of €210,000 was seized (irishmirror.ie)
- whatApproximately €13,000 in cash and a further €1,950 were recovered (irishmirror.ie)
- whatDrug paraphernalia was recovered (irishmirror.ie)
- whatApproximately 1.5 kilograms of suspected heroin was seized. (garda.ie)
- whatThe estimated street value of the heroin was €210,000. (garda.ie)
- whatA woman aged in her 40s was arrested in relation to the operation. (garda.ie)
- whatA man aged in his 60s was arrested following a stop and search of a vehicle a short distance away. (garda.ie)
- whatA search of a premises was conducted under warrant. (garda.ie)
- whatApproximately €13,000 in cash was recovered during the search. (garda.ie)
- whatA further €1,950 in cash was also recovered. (garda.ie)
- whatDrug paraphernalia was seized during the search. (garda.ie)
- whatBoth arrested individuals are detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996. (garda.ie)
- whatGardaí seized slash hooks, hammers, baseball bats, machetes, swords and slingshots. (irishtimes.com)
- what€6,000 in cash was seized, believed to be proceeds of crime. (irishtimes.com)
- whatApproximately €1,000 worth of heroin was seized. (irishtimes.com)
- whatApproximately €600 worth of crack cocaine was seized. (irishtimes.com)
- whatSeveral electric scramblers and e-scooters were seized, believed to be used for drug deliveries. (irishtimes.com)
- whatTwo caravans were confiscated, suspected of being stolen. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA man in his 20s was arrested at the scene for suspected drug dealing. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe woman was taken to Bridewell Garda station, Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe man was taken to Mayfield Garda station (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe woman was arrested in connection with the operation in Cork city (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe man was arrested after gardai stopped and searched a vehicle a short distance away (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe operation took place in Cork City. (garda.ie)
- whereThe operation took place at a halting site in the Mahon area of Cork city. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe operation was carried out on Tuesday, 1 September 2026 (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe seizure was made on Tuesday 1 September 2026. (garda.ie)
- whenThe search operation lasted nearly four hours and began at 8.45am. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe operation was intelligence-led and carried out by the Cork City Divisional Drugs Squad (irishtimes.com)
- investigationBoth are detained under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act (irishtimes.com)
- investigationSection 2 allows gardaí to detain suspects for up to seven days before they must be charged or released (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe seized drugs were sent to the Forensic Science Ireland laboratory in Dublin to establish purity (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe analysis results will be included in a file prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe operation was conducted under Operation Tara by the Divisional Drugs Unit, Southern Regional Drugs Unit and ASU Cork City (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA search of a premises was carried out under warrant (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe suspected heroin will be submitted to Forensic Science Ireland for examination (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationBoth suspects are detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationInvestigations are ongoing (irishmirror.ie, garda.ie)
- investigationThe suspected heroin will be examined by Forensic Science Ireland. (garda.ie)
- investigation60 gardaí were involved in the operation targeting criminal activity in Cork city. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationRevenue Commissioners carried out checks for green diesel during the operation. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe man was taken to Bridewell Garda station and detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeBoth were arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs for sale or supply in the city (irishtimes.com)
- otherNSPCA inspectors removed 12 dogs, one horse and one pony believed to be neglected. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 2 Sep2026Slash hooks and e-scooters seized in Garda operation targeting criminal activity in Cork
First report of the Cork halting site operation, detailing the arrest, items seized and animal welfare intervention.
suspect, 20s, male - 2 Sep202602/09/2026 Operation Tara - Seizure of €210,000 of Heroin, Two Arrests, Cork City, 1st September 2026
Garda press release detailing the seizure of 1.5 kg of suspected heroin worth €210,000, the arrest of a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s, and the recovery of €14,950 in cash and drug paraphernalia during a warrant search in Cork City.
suspect, 40s, femalesuspect, 60s, male - 2 Sep2026Two arrested after seizure of €210k worth of suspected heroin in Cork city
Initial arrest report following a multi-unit drug operation in Cork city under Operation Tara; both suspects detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 with investigations ongoing.
suspect, 40s, femalesuspect, 60s, male - 2 Sep2026Man and woman arrested in Cork following seizure of heroin with street value of €200,000
Adds specific ages (42 and 60), the man's origin (Co Tipperary), the exact location (Blackrock area, 11am), the arresting unit (Cork City Divisional Drugs Squad), the Garda stations used (Bridewell and Mayfield), the belief that the heroin was destined for the Cork market with over 800 users, context that this is the biggest heroin seizure in Cork since 2019 (2.5 kg, €350,000), and that the drugs were sent to Forensic Science Ireland for purity analysis.
suspect, 42, femalesuspect, 60, male