4.6 tonnes of herbal cannabis seized in Portarlington, four men held
Gardaí and Revenue Customs intercepted 4.6 tonnes of herbal cannabis hidden inside a container of hollow doors at Portarlington, County Laois, late on Friday 16 November 2001; four men were detained and the load was valued at about £9 million.
Gardaí and Revenue Customs officers intercepted one of the largest cannabis loads in Irish history
late on Friday 16 November 2001 at Portarlington, County Laois.[1]The consignment of 4.6 tonnes
of herbal cannabis had arrived through Dublin Port on the previous Thursday in a container routed
from Durban, South Africa, via Antwerp, Belgium.[1][2]
Hidden in door panels
The drugs were packed inside a shipment of doors stacked flat with the interiors removed, wrapped
in brown or clear plastic.[1]Detective Superintendent Barry O’Brien of the Garda National Drugs
Unit said the haul was worth about £9 million (€11.43 million) and was many times larger than
anything intercepted in recent years.[1]Four men were detained under Section 2 of the Drug
Trafficking Act; the Irish Times said they were believed to be from Dublin, Cork and Tullamore,
County Offaly.[1]
On 19 November the Irish Examiner reported that Sean Whelan, Kenneth O’Mahony, Jason Howe and John
Gallagher, with addresses in County Laois, Cork and Dublin, were remanded in custody after being
charged over the same Friday-night seizure.[2]Gardaí and Customs stressed that the investigation
was continuing and declined to detail how long the operation had been under way.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Gardaí and Customs would not say how long the surveillance had run or whether other countries were involved; the opened reports give no charge or sentence outcomes for the four detainees named on remand.
The Irish Times said the men were believed to be from Dublin, Cork and Tullamore while the Irish Examiner named four charged men with Laois, Cork and Dublin addresses without confirming they are the same four arrested on the night.
Detective Superintendent Barry O'Brien called the haul many times larger than recent intercepts but the sources do not give a precise plant count or THC content.
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.