Three people are in custody in Dublin following an early-morning garda operation that uncovered three firearms, ammunition, and cocaine with an estimated street value of €2.5 million.
Gardaí attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau executed the search operation in the north inner city area on Monday, November 2, 2026. Officers recovered a submachine gun, two pistols, ammunition, and a quantity of mobile phones alongside the narcotics. Two men, both aged in their 30s, and a woman, aged in her 20s, were arrested at the scene.
The suspects were taken to a Dublin garda station and detained under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. That legislation targets conduct that enhances or facilitates the ability of a criminal organisation to commit serious offences. According to reporting from The Irish Times, the detainees can be held for up to a week under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. Investigators are examining the recovered mobile phones in an effort to link the gang to broader distribution networks.
In a separate operation conducted on the same day, north Dublin gardaí intercepted a vehicle in the Clonshaugh area and subsequently searched a property in Coolock. Officers seized cannabis with an estimated street value of €784,000 during the dual intervention. A woman in her 20s was arrested at the Coolock address under Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977/84 and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
Did You Know? The primary inner-city raids and the separate suburban cannabis seizure both took place on Monday, November 2, 2026, as part of the ongoing nationwide crackdown known as Operation Tara.
Investigators target structured criminal enterprises with special powers
The application of Section 72 highlights the specific focus of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. Investigators use these powers when evidence suggests suspects are not merely possessing illicit substances or weapons for personal use, but are actively supporting structured criminal enterprises. The simultaneous recovery of high-powered weaponry—including a submachine gun and two pistols—alongside €2.5 million in suspected cocaine points to a heavily armed trafficking network operating within the capital.
Operation Tara serves as the overarching framework for these enforcement actions. Designed to dismantle drug trafficking rings at local, national, and international levels, the initiative targets the financial assets and supply chains of organized crime groups across Ireland.
What Happens Next in the Investigation
The three suspects detained in connection with the €2.5 million seizure face extended questioning at a Dublin garda station under organized crime legislation. Forensic teams are currently analyzing the seized cocaine and firearms, while digital forensics specialists examine the recovered mobile phones for communications data.
Meanwhile, the woman arrested following the Clonshaugh vehicle stop and Coolock property search remains detained under drug trafficking laws. Garda spokespersons confirmed that investigations into both operations are ongoing, and additional arrests or charges could follow as analysis of the seized evidence proceeds.
Gardaí seize firearms and drugs in Dublin operations
Where did the main firearms and cocaine seizure take place?
The operation was conducted by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in Dublin’s north inner city.
What specific laws were applied to the three main suspects?
The two men in their 30s and the woman in her 20s were arrested under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and are detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.
What was recovered in the separate north Dublin operation?
How might the analysis of the seized mobile phones alter the scope of the current garda investigation?
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