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Man arrested over £16m drug find | Man arrested over £16m drug find |
(20 minutes later) | |
A Belfast man has been arrested by police over a £16m cannabis seizure nearly 13 years ago. | A Belfast man has been arrested by police over a £16m cannabis seizure nearly 13 years ago. |
The 1.7 tonnes of drugs were found on a boat docked at Kilrush in County Clare in November 1996. It is understood it had sailed from Gibraltar. | The 1.7 tonnes of drugs were found on a boat docked at Kilrush in County Clare in November 1996. It is understood it had sailed from Gibraltar. |
Three crew members - one from Northern Ireland - were arrested at the time. | Three crew members - one from Northern Ireland - were arrested at the time. |
The 46-year-old man arrested on Tuesday morning is being questioned by detectives from the PSNI's organised crime branch. | The 46-year-old man arrested on Tuesday morning is being questioned by detectives from the PSNI's organised crime branch. |
He is being held at Grosvenor Road police station in west Belfast. | He is being held at Grosvenor Road police station in west Belfast. |
In 2000, Northern Ireland businessman Colin Lees was jailed for 12 years for playing a "pivotal role" in smuggling the seized drugs. | |
Lees, from Magherafelt, had claimed he had been unwittingly used by others to help smuggle the cannabis into the Republic. | |
However, a judge at Belfast Crown Court said he had been at the heart of the matter, directing and orchestrating operations and the purchase of the boat used to carry the drugs. |