The animal tranquiliser ketamine was among suspected drugs with an estimated street value of £6.5 million (€7.8m) which were found hidden inside a shipment of olives.
The drugs, which also included cocaine and cannabis, were seized by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Organised Crime Unit in Co. Antrim.
It was part of a cross border operation in conjunction with the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
Drugs
Following a search of a premises in the Mallusk area of Newtownabbey yesterday morning (Monday, March 3) detectives located and seized suspected cannabis, cocaine and ketamine concealed within the food packaging.
A 28-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A and Class B controlled drugs.
“We believe the drugs on this seizure were intended to supply various markets across the UK,” PSNI Detective Inspector Conor Sweeney said.
“The Joint Agency Task Force was established with the aim of bringing a concerted and enhanced effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional organised crime.
“All partners within the Task Force are totally committed to working together to reduce the misery caused by drug smuggling and to dismantle the organised groups profiting from this type of criminality.
“It is not difficult to imagine the harm that would have been caused by this volume of drugs being dealt on street corners within our communities to vulnerable people, children and those with addictions issues.
“Nor is it difficult to imagine the mayhem that the organised criminals behind this would have wreaked with the millions of pounds of profit they potentially stood to make,” he said.
The detective inspector said that he was “delighted the drugs have been removed from circulation and that this income stream has been denied to the criminal network”.
“However, we recognise there is still much work to be done to tackle such serious and organised criminality.
“We rely on the help of the community to do so and would appeal to anyone with information or concerns to contact us on 101,” he added.
Reports can also be made by the public through the PSNI website, or Crimestoppers.
