The operation itself took place months ago. On 23 June, officers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau raided a property in County Kildare, arresting three men and seizing 32kg of cannabis worth an estimated €640,000.
So far, so banal. But the operation led officers to business premises near Ballymore Eustace, where they found what Gardaí initially described simply as a “fully operational cocaine laboratory”.
Ireland only revealed what that meant on 21 September.
Investigators had found a truck trailer containing chemicals and equipment used to extract cocaine. Forensic Science Ireland identified 74kg of the drug, valued at €5.2 million, camouflaged in wooden sheets imported from South America. Revenue said the investigation was targeting an organisation suspected of importing cocaine concealed in wood shipments from Colombia while also distributing cannabis.
So what did camouflaged actually mean?
The plywood had allegedly been drenched in liquid cocaine overseas before being shipped to Ireland. At the Kildare site, investigators believed the wood was being ground into sawdust using workshop machinery, after which chemicals would be used to separate and purify the cocaine.
Garda sources also told the newspaper that the operation involved large quantities of chemicals and machinery, at least some of which could be moved if the laboratory needed to relocate.
World of Crime has reported on the spread of these labs across Europe.
