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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| £2m drugs found in NI and England | £2m drugs found in NI and England |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Police have seized drugs worth an estimated £2m and arrested nine people as part of a coordinated operation in Northern Ireland and northern England. | Police have seized drugs worth an estimated £2m and arrested nine people as part of a coordinated operation in Northern Ireland and northern England. |
| Police said they believe they have recovered drugs worth £1m during searches in Northern Ireland while a further £1m was seized in England. | Police said they believe they have recovered drugs worth £1m during searches in Northern Ireland while a further £1m was seized in England. |
| Six kilos of cocaine, 22 kilos of amphetamines and 20 kilos of cannabis were found in Kilkeel, County Down. | Six kilos of cocaine, 22 kilos of amphetamines and 20 kilos of cannabis were found in Kilkeel, County Down. |
| Officers arrested five men in NI and three men and a woman in England. | Officers arrested five men in NI and three men and a woman in England. |
| The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) led the year-long operation which also involved Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). | |
| Det Supt Esmond Adair, the officer in charge of the operation, said it was "probably the most significant drugs seizure" that has taken place in Northern Ireland "in recent times". | Det Supt Esmond Adair, the officer in charge of the operation, said it was "probably the most significant drugs seizure" that has taken place in Northern Ireland "in recent times". |
| Referring to the valuation of the drugs he said: "Those are conservative estimates - you could triple and quadruple that when you get down to street value." | Referring to the valuation of the drugs he said: "Those are conservative estimates - you could triple and quadruple that when you get down to street value." |
| 'Organised crime' | 'Organised crime' |
| The arrests and seizures were made on Saturday and during a follow-up search in the Belfast area, six kilos of amphetamines and £100,000 in sterling and euro notes were also seized. | |
| As part of the same operation, one kilo of cocaine, 22 kilos of amphetamines and 20 kilos of herbal cannabis were recovered by police from a house in Preston, Lancashire. | |
| Eight searches were carried out in Northern Ireland, resulting in the arrests of five men. | Eight searches were carried out in Northern Ireland, resulting in the arrests of five men. |
| The operation centred on Kilkeel, but there were also searches in Belfast, Lisburn, Hillsborough, and Lurgan. | |
| There were five searches in England and three men - who are being taken to Northern Ireland for questioning - and one woman were arrested. | There were five searches in England and three men - who are being taken to Northern Ireland for questioning - and one woman were arrested. |
| Seven of the arrested men are from Northern Ireland, the woman is from England and the ninth man is a Dutch national. | Seven of the arrested men are from Northern Ireland, the woman is from England and the ninth man is a Dutch national. |
| Det Supt Adair said police believed the drugs had been taken from Holland to England and on then to Northern Ireland. | Det Supt Adair said police believed the drugs had been taken from Holland to England and on then to Northern Ireland. |
| "This has been a successful overt stage of a long-term proactive investigation involving the PSNI and partner agencies against an organised crime gang which we believe was importing drugs into Northern Ireland," he added. | "This has been a successful overt stage of a long-term proactive investigation involving the PSNI and partner agencies against an organised crime gang which we believe was importing drugs into Northern Ireland," he added. |