Dublin Airport: Significant increase in drug raids

According to the Irish Revenue Commissioners, drug seizures at ports, airports and postal centres in the Republic of Ireland more than doubled in 2024 compared to the previous year.

It said its officers had seized 170 million euros (£143 million) worth of illegal drugs by the end of August this year, compared with 75 million euros (£63 million) in the same period in 2023.

Over the past two weeks, cocaine and cannabis worth over €3 million (£2.5 million) have been seized at Dublin Airport.

Officials said the smugglers were becoming “more and more inventive” and several people had been arrested for hiding substances in their bodies.

“Over the past few days, Treasury officials have carried out several intelligence-led operations seizing over €3 million (£2.5 million) worth of cocaine and herbal cannabis,” a spokesman added.

These included 258 cocaine pellets weighing 3.9 kilograms and 140 kilograms of cannabis herb, which was discovered using sniffer dogs and X-ray machines.

The discoveries were made after officials stopped and searched a number of passengers who had arrived on separate flights from Brazil and Thailand.

Superintendent Darren McCarthy, who is responsible for policing at Dublin Airport, recently highlighted the serious risks associated with internal drug concealment.

In an interview on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme, he stressed that taking drug pellets posed significant health risks.

He explained that people caught attempting to smuggle drugs domestically often require hospital treatment.