Son of former politician questioned over discovery of crystal meth worth millions
Gardaí along with Revenue Officers seized 546kg of a synthetic drug, with an estimated value of €32.8 million.
Gardai are continuing to question a businessman and the son of a former politician over the discovery of crystal meth worth €32.8million.
The two men began a second detention period of a further 72 hours at 10.30am yesterday after it was granted by Kerry District Court.
Their arrests came after officers made the sensational discovery inside a shipping container in Cork Port on Friday morning.
The meth is believed to have been destined for Australia and was being held here on behalf of the ruthless Sinaloa cartel – once led by El Chapo.
One of the arrested men is a well-known businessman who has not come to Garda attention in the past.
The other man is the son of a former politician who is seen as a close associate of Morris O’Shea Salazar, an Irish-Mexican citizen who heads the European operation of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The man is also well-known to gardai and has a violent past with prior convictions for assault. Gardai and Revenue Officers seized 546kg of the synthetic drug which will be analysed by Forensic Science Ireland.
Gardai from the Kerry and Cork Divisional Drugs Units along with local gardai were involved in the massive operation.
Follow-up searches in Cork and Kerry including one at a business premises led to the seizure of two firearms and the arrest of two men.
Both are in their 40s and are currently being held at Garda stations in the southern region of the country.
The Sinaloa Cartel is considered the largest narco-trafficking gang in the world. Drugs kingpin El Chapo is currently behind bars in the United States.
Last year, we revealed Chilean investigators want to extradite O’Shea, who was nicknamed “Mexican” when he was growing up in Killorglin in Kerry, from Mexico to face serious charges.
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