Nearly four tonnes of herbal cannabis seized at Dublin Port
Revenue customs officers at Dublin Port seized just under four tonnes of herbal cannabis hidden in a forty-foot container of dried fruit on 26 October 2001, in what they called Ireland's largest cannabis seizure to date; one man was arrested and handed to gardaí.
Customs officers at Dublin Port seized just under four tonnes of herbal cannabis on Friday
26 October 2001, in what the Irish Examiner reported as the largest cannabis seizure Ireland had
seen.[1]The high-quality herb was hidden in a forty-foot container of dried fruit that had arrived
from South Africa within the previous couple of days.[1]
Transit route and surveillance
Tom Brady reported in the Irish Independent that gardaí and customs had watched the container after
it reached the port on a ship from Antwerp on Tuesday, hoping to arrest a trafficker who never
appeared.[2]Officers moved in on Friday morning and announced the seizure.[2]Brady wrote that
the load weighed 3,992 kilograms, that customs valued it at £14 million, and that detectives
estimated a British street value of about £8 million.[2]Customs said one man was arrested and
passed to gardaí, while gardaí told the Independent they were holding nobody over the find.[1][2]Both outlets said the consignment was mainly destined for Britain.[1][2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Irish Examiner reported the haul at just under four tonnes while Tom Brady's Irish Independent account put the weight at 3,992 kilograms; both describe the same container.
Customs valued the load at £14 million and gardaí told the Independent it would fetch about £8 million on British streets; those are official estimates, not laboratory weights.
Gardaí said on 27 October that they had nobody in custody over the find even though customs reported one arrest; the opened reports name no suspect.
The Independent said the shipment arrived from Antwerp after leaving Pretoria, while the Examiner said it had arrived from South Africa a couple of days earlier; both agree on South African origin and dried-fruit concealment.
Gardaí and Revenue Customs officers seized about 16.5 kg of herbal cannabis plus cannabis vapes and gummies, valued at €359,000, in operations across Clare and Kildare. One person was arrested after a seizure in County Kildare on 6 November 2026; investigations are ongoing.
Irish Revenue officers seized over 8.3 kg of herbal cannabis worth over €116,000 during operations in Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare Europort in the week starting 26 October 2026. The cannabis was found in parcels from five countries alongside other drugs, alcohol, tobacco and counterfeit goods, with investigations ongoing.
Gardaí seized cannabis valued at €800–€1,000 from a car on the N17 at Gortnagunned near Milltown and arrested two drivers for drug-impaired driving. The stops on 2 November 2026 were part of the multi-agency Operation Intercept day of action in east Galway.
Gardai carried out three searches near Mullingar on 30 and 31 October 2026, seizing cannabis and cocaine with a combined estimated value of 2,300 euros. One person was charged after the first seizure and is due before Mullingar District Court; the stated cannabis-only value was 400 euros.