Ireland Six arrested after €2.1 million cocaine and cannabis seized in Kildare and Westmeath raids
On 15 July 2023, Gardaí from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau carried out searches in Kildare and Westmeath under Operation Tara and seized cocaine and cannabis valued at over €2.1 million and over €112,000 in cash. Six people, five men and one woman, were arrested, and their ages and nationalities are not stated. By 16 July, two men had been charged with drug-related offences, a man and a woman had been released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and two other men remained in Garda custody. The two charged men were due to appear before a district court on Monday 17 July 2023, with the sources differing on whether it was Naas or Athlone District Court.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Charged15 Jul
4 reports - In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- About 29kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of around €2m was seized in an initial search.
- Cannabis with an estimated street value of €125,000 was seized along with other drug paraphernalia.
- €112,050 in cash was seized during the operation.
- A pill manufacturing facility containing two pill-making machines was found in follow-up searches.
- A cannabis cultivation facility was also discovered.
- Where
- The searches were carried out in Kildare and Westmeath, and the sources do not say where each item was found.
- When
- The searches took place on Saturday 15 July 2023.
- Investigation
- The searches were part of Operation Tara, led by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and targeting transnational organised crime.
- A man and a woman were released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
- Two other men remained in Garda custody at the time of the statement.
- Other details
- Six people were arrested: five men and one woman, whose ages and nationalities are not stated.
- Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly commended the detectives involved in the operation.
- Charges
- Two men were charged with drug-related offences.
- In court
- The two charged men were due to appear before Naas District Court on Monday 17 July 2023, though one garda report gave Athlone District Court instead.
40 statements extracted from the articles
- whatDrugs worth €2.1m and €112,000 in cash were seized. (garda.ie)
- whatAbout 29kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of around €2m was seized. (garda.ie)
- what€112,050 in cash was seized. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whatA pill manufacturing facility containing two pill making machines was discovered. (garda.ie)
- whatCannabis with an estimated street value of €125,000 was seized. (garda.ie)
- whatA cannabis cultivation facility was discovered. (garda.ie)
- whatSix people were arrested after drugs worth over €2.1 million were seized in Kildare and Westmeath. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatCocaine and cannabis valued at over €2.1 million were seized, along with over €112,000 in cash. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatAbout 29kg of suspected cocaine was seized in an initial search, with an estimated street value of around €2m. (dublinlive.ie)
- what€112,050 in cash was seized during the operation. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatCannabis with an estimated street value of €125,000 was seized, along with other drug paraphernalia. (dublinlive.ie)
- whatAbout 29kg of suspected cocaine was seized in an initial search, estimated at around €2 million. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA pill manufacturing facility with two pill making machines was found in a follow-up search. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatCannabis worth an estimated €125,000 was seized along with other drug paraphernalia. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA cannabis cultivation facility was also found. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe searches were carried out in Kildare and Westmeath. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- whereSearches were carried out in Kildare and Westmeath. (garda.ie)
- whenThe drugs and cash were seized on 15 July 2023. (garda.ie)
- whenThe searches took place on Saturday 15 July 2023. (garda.ie, dublinlive.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe searches were part of Operation Tara. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau led the operation, which targeted transnational organised crime. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe operation targeted transnational organised crime. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationFollow-up searches found a pill manufacturing facility containing two pill-making machines. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationA cannabis cultivation facility was also discovered. (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe operation was carried out by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationAnother man and a woman were released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA fifth man remained in Garda custody at the time of the statement. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeGardaí charged two men in relation to the searches. (garda.ie)
- chargeTwo men have been charged with drug-related offences. (garda.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- chargeTwo men were charged with drug-related offences. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe two men were scheduled to appear before Athlone District Court on Monday 17 July 2023. (garda.ie)
- courtThe two charged men are due to appear before Naas District Court on Monday 17 July 2023. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe two charged men are due to appear in court the following day. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherSix people were arrested: five men and one woman. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- otherA man and a woman were released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions. (garda.ie)
- otherTwo other men remained in Garda custody at the time of the statement. (garda.ie)
- otherAssistant Commissioner Justin Kelly commended the detectives involved in the operation. (garda.ie)
- otherThe arrests were of five men and one woman. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherAnother man and woman have been released without charge pending a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions. (dublinlive.ie)
- otherTwo other men remained in Garda custody at the time of the report. (dublinlive.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 17 Jul2023Gardai arrest six after €2.1 million worth cocaine and cannabis seized in raid
Reports searches in Kildare and Westmeath. Adds the cash seizure, a pill manufacturing facility, a cannabis cultivation facility, the charges, and the Naas District Court appearance. Article says six arrested (five men and one woman), but the garda statement's breakdown of who was charged or released accounts for only some of them.
accused, maleaccused, malesuspect, malesuspect, femalesuspect, male - 16 Jul2023Drugs worth €2.1 million seized as six arrested in massive raids
First report of the operation. It covers the seizure, the six arrests and the two charges, and says two men are due in court the following day. Searches took place in both Kildare and Westmeath, and the article does not say where each item was found.
suspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, malesuspect, female - 15 Jul2023Operation Tara - €2.1m Drugs Seized and 6 Arrests - Searches in Kildare and Westmeath - 15th July 2023
Official garda.ie statement on the Operation Tara searches. Adds that five men and one woman were arrested, that the two charged men are due before Naas District Court on 17 July 2023, that a man and woman were released without charge pending a file to the DPP, that two men remained in custody, and that a cannabis cultivation facility was found. The statement does not name anyone or give separate locations for each search.
accused, maleaccused, malesuspect, malesuspect, femalesuspect, malesuspect, male - 15 Jul2023Court Appearance - Operation Tara, €2.1m Drugs Seized and 6 Arrests - Searches in Kildare and Westmeath - 15th July 2023
Confirms two men were charged and scheduled to appear before Athlone District Court on 17 July 2023. The headline gives the total as six arrests.
accused, maleaccused, male