On Sunday, Irish law enforcement confiscated several hundred pounds of “herbal cannabis” at a port in Dublin, resulting in the detainment of “a man in his forties.”
As stated in an official announcement by the Irish Tax and Customs, the officers confiscated around 142kgs of herbal marijuana at Dublin Port, estimated to be worth €2.84 million. (This equates to roughly 313 pounds and $3.06 million).
“The illicit substances were unearthed when Revenue officers inspected a vehicle that had come from France. A man in his forties was detained by An Garda Síochána [Ireland’s national police service] and is currently in custody under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at a Garda Station in Dublin,” said the customs and tax office, adding that inquiries continue to be “underway.”
The announcement noted that the confiscation was “part of Revenue’s continued joint probes into criminal organizations and the importation, selling, and distribution of illegal drugs,” and the office encouraged any “businesses or individuals” with “information related to drug trafficking” to step forward.
On Friday, An Garda Síochána conducted a similar operation in south Dublin. Under an intelligence initiative, officers “confiscated about 16kgs of herbal marijuana valued at roughly €316,000,” in collaboration with Revenue’s Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), and the Terenure District Drugs Unit.
“A woman in her thirties was detained by An Garda Síochána and is presently held under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at a Garda Station in South Dublin. Investigations are in progress,” the tax and customs office stated in an official statement.
Earlier, on Thursday, revenue officers “confiscated about 54kgs of herbal cannabis estimated to be worth €1,080,000 in Dublin.”
“This was achieved as a result of a joint operation carried out by Revenue’s Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), and the DMR North Central Divisional Drug Unit,” the press statement revealed.
The use of cannabis for recreational purposes is prohibited in Ireland, as stated on An Garda Síochána’s official website: “It is illegal to cultivate, import, export, manufacture, distribute, and possess cannabis except under a Ministerial Licence. As of now, the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal uses is not allowed and no licences have been granted for such activities.”
The website points out that the Irish government “does not intend to decriminalise cannabis.”
However, there are Irish legislators who wish to lift this ban. A bill was introduced in the Irish parliament last year aiming to legalise cannabis for “adults at least 18 years old to possess up to 7 grams of cannabis or 2.5 grams of cannabis resin (hashish),” as reported by Forbes.
The bill did not “permit the sale of cannabis products or the growth of cannabis plants for personal use,” as per Forbes, implying that “cannabis consumers will likely keep buying cannabis from the illicit market.”
Should the bill be approved and enacted, it would modify the so-called Misuse of Drug Act, the 1977 law that established the cannabis prohibition in Ireland.
