€432,000 in cannabis plants seized from growhouses in Ballinasloe and Athlone
These seizures form part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy
As part of an ongoing investigation targeting the sale and supply of drugs in the region, Gardaí in Galway conducted a planned search of a residential property in Ballinasloe on Friday, April 25.
During the course of this search, the Divisional Drugs Unit discovered a sophisticated growhouse operation within the premises and seized 160 suspected cannabis plants worth approximately €128,000 (pending further analysis).
A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested at the scene and detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
In a follow-up search, Gardaí in Westmeath attended a residential property in Athlone and discovered another quite sophisticated growhouse, which contained a total of 381 cannabis plants with an estimated value of €304,800 (subject to analysis).
The man was subsequently charged and appeared before a special sitting of Galway District Court on Sunday, April 27, at 11:30am.
These seizures form part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels –international, national, and local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale, and supply of controlled drugs.