One of the largest ever cocaine hauls imported into Northern Ireland has been found hidden inside a container of furniture.
The Police of Service of Northern Ireland has put on display the 50kg of the drug, with a street value of at least £2.5m, in Belfast. A PSNI spokesman said the cocaine had been located at a commercial premises in County Tyrone on Wednesday.
PSNI Detective Superintendent Noel Mullan said: “A conservative value for this haul would be £2.5m. A street value would be substantially higher. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest cocaine finds ever made in Northern Ireland.
“Over a three-year period from 2011-12 to 2013–14, PSNI seized a total of 49 kilos of cocaine in 1,053 seizure incidents. This is an average of 47g per seizure incident. There were only two seizures of three kilos or more. Half of all seizures were of just 1g or less. Last night we got 50 kilos.”
The seizure came on the same day that authorities in the Netherlands seized 20kg of cocaine aboard a Dutch ship believed to be destined for Co Fermanagh. But the PSNI said the two drugs hauls were unrelated.
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister David Ford praised the PSNI for uncovering the cocaine in Tyrone. “We must never become complacent about the dangers of illegal drugs, because they ruin lives and can ruin communities,” he said.
