Loughbrickland: Drugs worth £900k seized in cross-border operation
- Published
Officers were seen stopping vehicles along the main Belfast to Newry Road
Suspected cannabis with an estimated street value of £900,000 has been seized during a major cross-border operation targeting organised crime.
Dozens of police officers and officials from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been involved in the operation near Loughbrickland in County Down.
It took place along the A1, the main road between Belfast and Newry, on Wednesday night.
One man has been arrested.
Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda SÃochána (Irish police) have been searching for drugs and illegal fuel, stopping vehicles travelling in both directions between Belfast and Dublin.
The operation, involving a number of agencies, began at about 18:30 BST on Wednesday and lasted several hours.
Kevin Sharkey reports from the scene
It was a highly visible operation along one of the busiest roads here, between Newry and Belfast.
During a three-hour period, heavy goods vehicles and vans were diverted into a lay-by alongside the weighbridge in Loughbrickland.
As well as local traffic, the operation also focused on cross-border vehicles, travelling along the main Dublin to Belfast route.
Most of the lorries and vans were eventually allowed to continue on their journeys but one driver was arrested and eight others will be prosecuted or get fixed penalty notices.
Four drivers were given fixed penalty notices for a range of offences, with another four facing prosecution.
Det Ch Insp Richard Thornton from the PSNI Organised Crime Unit said: "This joint-operation between police and our partner agencies was aimed at targeting OCGs (Organised Crime Groups) who utilise the road network to distribute drugs and other illicit goods."
He said the operation was an example of the PSNI working with other agencies and their commitment to preventing "this type of criminality and protecting those who are most vulnerable within our communities".