Ireland Man in his 20s charged after suspected ketamine seizure at Lucan property
A man in his 20s, named by the sources as Conor Cooper, was arrested after suspected ketamine was seized at a property in Lucan, Co Dublin, over Easter 2026; the sources give the search as Saturday 4 April or Sunday 5 April. Gardaí allegedly found 1kg of suspected ketamine worth €60,000 on the first day and a further 13kg, valued at approximately €770,000, in follow-up searches on Easter Monday, with total estimated value of €830,000. Cooper was charged with possessing ketamine for sale or supply and having a car to store and transport the drug, as well as lesser cannabis and cocaine possession offences, and further charges could be brought. At a bail hearing gardaí opposed bail, and the judge set bond at €3,000 with a €10,000 independent surety required before release; Cooper was remanded in custody with consent to bail and is due back at Cloverhill District Court on 14 April.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested6 Apr
- Charged7 Apr
- In court1 Apr
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A man was charged over a suspected ketamine seizure estimated at €830,000.
- Gardaí allegedly found 1kg of suspected ketamine worth about €60,000 at the property.
- Follow-up searches on Easter Monday allegedly recovered a further 13kg of suspected ketamine, valued at about €770,000.
- Gardaí also found cocaine, cannabis and €5,900 in cash at the dwelling.
- A package Cooper allegedly tried to discard contained €61,500 worth of suspected ketamine, and he allegedly jumped from an upstairs bedroom window to evade gardaí.
- Where
- The suspected drugs were seized from a property in Lucan, Co Dublin, near the Kildare-Dublin border.
- When
- Sources differ on the date of the initial search: one says Saturday 4 April, another says Sunday 5 April 2026, Easter Sunday.
- Investigation
- Officers found the car had a hidden compartment operated by remote control.
- The man was arrested and held at a garda station in Dublin.
- The seizure was made as part of Operation Tara, which targets drug trafficking networks.
- The seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.
- Charges
- Cooper was charged with possessing ketamine for sale or supply and having a car to store and transport the drug, plus lesser cannabis and cocaine possession offences; further charges could be brought.
- In court
- Cooper made no reply when charged, and gardaí opposed bail citing the seriousness of the case and flight risk.
- Bail was initially set at €13,000; the judge then set bond at €3,000 with a €10,000 independent surety required before release, and Cooper was remanded in custody with consent to bail.
32 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA Dublin man was charged over a seizure of more than €830,000 worth of ketamine. (thejournal.ie)
- whatCooper tried to evade gardaí by jumping from an upstairs bedroom window. (thejournal.ie)
- whatA package Cooper was trying to discard allegedly contained €61,500 worth of ketamine. (thejournal.ie)
- whatGardaí also found cocaine, cannabis and €5,900 in cash at the dwelling. (thejournal.ie)
- whatGardaí allegedly recovered 13 more packages of suspected ketamine worth €770,000 from the car. (thejournal.ie)
- whatGardaí found 1kg of suspected ketamine estimated to be worth €60,000. (rte.ie)
- whatFollow-up searches led to the seizure of a further 13kg of suspected ketamine, valued at approximately €770,000. (rte.ie)
- whatGardaí recovered one kilogram of suspected ketamine on Easter Sunday. (kildarenow.com)
- whereThe raid took place at Conor Cooper's home in Lucan. (thejournal.ie)
- whereSuspected ketamine was seized in Lucan, Co Dublin. (rte.ie)
- whereThe suspected drugs were seized from a property in Lucan. (kildarenow.com)
- whereThe property is located near the Kildare-Dublin border. (kildarenow.com)
- whenGardaí from Ronanstown station attended the accused's home on a Saturday. (thejournal.ie)
- whenThe search of the premises took place on a Sunday. (rte.ie)
- whenThe man was arrested on Easter Sunday, 5 April. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationOfficers found the car had a hidden compartment operated by remote control. (thejournal.ie)
- investigationA man in his 20s was arrested and is being held at a garda station in Dublin. (rte.ie)
- investigationThe drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. (rte.ie)
- investigationThe seizure was made as part of Operation Tara, which targets drug trafficking networks. (rte.ie)
- investigationFollow-up searches on Easter Monday recovered 13kg of suspected ketamine. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationThe seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. (kildarenow.com)
- chargeCooper was charged with possessing ketamine for sale or supply and having a car to store and transport the drug. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeHe was also charged with lesser cannabis and cocaine possession offences. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeFurther charges could be brought. (thejournal.ie)
- chargeThe man has now been charged. (kildarenow.com)
- courtCooper made no reply when charged. (thejournal.ie)
- courtGardaí opposed bail citing the seriousness of the case and flight risk. (thejournal.ie)
- courtBail was initially set at €13,000. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe judge set bond at €3,000, with a €10,000 independent surety required before release. (thejournal.ie)
- courtCooper was remanded in custody with consent to bail and is due back at Cloverhill District Court on 14 April. (thejournal.ie)
- courtThe man is expected to appear before Criminal Courts of Justice No. 1 at 10.30am, charged with a number of offences. (kildarenow.com)
- otherGardaí estimate the suspected controlled drugs are worth €830,000. (kildarenow.com)
The reporting
newest first- 7 Apr2026Man due to appear in court over suspected drugs seizure near Kildare border
The article reports that the man was charged and is due in court, gives the estimated value of the drugs as €830,000, and describes the two seizures of suspected ketamine on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
accused, 20s, male - 6 Apr2026Arrest after €830,000 worth of ketamine seized in Dublin
Adds the estimated value of the first seizure (€60,000), the value of the 13kg follow-up seizure (approximately €770,000), that the man is being held at a Dublin garda station, that the seizure was part of Operation Tara, and that the drugs will go to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.
suspect, 20s, male - 1 Apr2026Man charged over ketamine seizure jumped from upstairs window when gardaí arrived, court hears
Adds the suspect's full name, age and address area, the bail hearing at Dublin District Court, the window escape, the car compartment, the €830,000 total and the next court date of 14 April at Cloverhill. The article says only 'on Saturday', so the incident date is inferred as Saturday 4 April 2026; the existing case gives 5 April.
accused, Conor Cooper, 28, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor Cooper