Five arrested after seizure of cannabis worth €3.4 million hidden in lettuce on lorry bound for Ireland

Four Irish nationals and a Romanian national were arrested in Spain last Sunday.

Five people were arrested in Spain last weekend after cannabis herb valued at €3.4 million was discovered amongst pallets of lettuce in a lorry destined for Ireland. Following a lengthy coordinated investigation by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Spanish Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil, four Irish men, aged 56, 45, 35 and 33, and a 27-year-old Romanian were arrested in a location north-west of Malaga in Spain on Sunday, 6 May. All five remain in custody and have appeared before a Spanish magistrate. Following the operation, Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll, who has responsibility for Special Crime Operations (SCO) within An Garda Síochána, said: "We are very grateful to the Spanish law enforcement authorities for their ongoing and very productive cooperation with the Garda Síochána in tackling organised crime groups operating in both Spain and Ireland. “This Operation has dealt another significant blow to the capacity of the organised crime groups involved to continue their trade in controlled substances.”