A HUGE Garda operation last Friday morning – targeting seven locations in the west – led to the seizure of close on €250,000 in drugs, cash, designer watches and vehicles.

Six of the searches were in Galway city and county – the seventh was in the Sligo/Leitrim area – and all took place shortly after 6.30am on Friday morning last.

Dozens of Garda personnel from the Galway Divisional Drugs Unit, the Galway District Drug Unit, the Armed Support Unit, the Divisional Search Team, Galway Crime Unit and the Garda Dog Unit were involved in the searches.

Two men in their 30s were arrested by Gardaí in the operation which was directed at the activities of a drugs gang mostly operating across Galway city and county.

One of the men arrested faced charges at Galway District Court in relation to alleged money laundering, the sale and supply of illegal drugs, and the possession of drugs.

A second man was questioned through Friday in the Garda Regional HQ at Murrough, Renmore, Galway city, in relation to organised and serious crime activity before being released, with a file being prepared for forwarding to the DPP.

Three of the searches took place in Galway city and three more in the greater North Galway area with €47,000 worth of suspected cocaine seized; €34,490 in cash; ten designer watches [Rolex and Hublot, worth in the region of €75,000] as well as two cars and one van [all 2022 registered with a total value of over €90,000].

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