DRUGS worth an estimated street value of €14,000 were seized in Letterkenny this week during a multi-agency operation which included the Garda Armed Support Unit.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed to the Donegal News that the suspected cannabis seizure was made after two residential properties were searched in the Cullion Road area on Tuesday morning.
A man in his 50s was arrested and detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
Gardaí from the Donegal Divisional Drugs Unit carried out the searches as part of ongoing investigations targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the region.
They were assisted by the Donegal North Community Engagement Area, Dog Unit and Armed Support Unit.
The drugs seizure will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.
Chairman of the Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP), Cllr Gerry McMonagle recently commended gardaí on their work at the most recent LCSP meeting.
Speaking to the Donegal News yesterday, Cllr McMonagle said: “The drug squad in Donegal seems to be fairly active and they’ve been quite successful in detecting large amounts of drugs.
“That’s very welcome, and I’d like to congratulate them again on being so diligent in doing that. We all know the effects that drugs have in our society, and the more drugs we can take off the street, the better. It’s always welcome news.
“The Garda drug squad in the county have been quite busy and successful. But the other side of that coin is it shows you again the amount of drugs that are in Donegal and coming into Donegal, and we need to always be vigilant.
“I would again appeal to the community to help and assist the gardaí in detecting or pointing out if they’re seeing illegal or suspicious activity, and report it to the gardaí.”
Cllr McMonagle again highlighted the consequences of drugs on wider society.
“We see firsthand the difficulties that poses for those who take the drugs, but also for families and the addiction services,” he said.
“There’s a massive knock-on effect to drugs in our community, covering a wide range of stuff from addiction to breakups of relationships, to criminality. So any finds the gardaí have, they’re to be congratulated on the good work they’re doing.”
Investigations into the drugs seizure are ongoing.