Gardaí search property for cash linked to Sinaloa cartel after €33m crystal meth haul

Searches were carried out at a Kerry property over the weekend where gardaí suspect drug money linked to a Mexican cartel’s European operation is buried.

Detectives have recovered significant amounts of CCTV footage as part of the investigation, as they were granted more time to question two suspects in custody.

It comes after almost €33m of crystal meth was seized in Cork Port last Friday, which was believed to be destined for Australia.

The operation is targeting what is suspected to be the Irish wing of the Sinaloa cartel’s European operation, which is headed by Kerryman Morris O’Shea Salazar.

A key associate of his was arrested as part of the drugs haul and is suspected of overseeing the criminal network in Ireland.

The suspect, who is the son of a former politician, remained in custody last night, along with a prominent businessman, after their detention periods were extended. The ex-politician’s son, who is aged in his 40s, is well known to gardaí, having previously been investigated for violent crimes.

The Defence Forces and gardaí have been carrying out extensive searches of a property linked to him for drugs, cash and firearms.

One source said: “There is a suspicion that there is money and drugs hidden all over the place, which is why the Army was called in.”

The two men were arrested as part of the operation last Friday after gardaí recovered the crystal meth at Cork Port.

Both suspects remained in garda custody last night, under organised crime legislation. They can be questioned for a further period of 48 hours from this morning, and a senior garda can again apply to a judge for that period of detention to be extended for another 48 hours.

As part of the inquiry, gardaí have recovered CCTV footage at locations linked to the men in a bid to determine the extent of the criminal enterprise.

In total, 546kg of drugs were seized with an estimated street value of €32.8m while two firearms, understood to be machine guns, were also recovered in related searches.

Gardaí believe the crystal meth, which was hidden in a shipment of machinery, was destined for Australia, where the drug sells at three times the price it sells for here.

In a statement, gardaí said: “Garda personnel from the Kerry Divisional Drugs Unit, Cork and a number of Garda units were involved in the operation. Follow up searches were conducted in Kerry and Cork which resulted in the arrests of two men and the seizure of two firearms.

“The men, both aged in their 40s are currently detained at Garda stations in the Southern Region under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. Investigations are ongoing.”

Spanish police files named the ex-politician’s son as a close associate of Killorglin-based drug trafficker O’Shea Salazar.

Both men are named in the documents as being part of a gang who answered to Mexican kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman’s son, Ivan.​.

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