Large cannabis grow op found in Arva
A 30-year-old man was arrested and is in custody in Guerranebraher Garda station.
Members from Cavan Drugs Unit and Arva Garda Station raided a house between Crossdoney and Killeshandra at around noon on Sunday and found 290 cannabis plants, halogen lights as well as other forms of cannabis growing equipment.
A man was subsequently arrested and appeared before Ballyconnell District Court on Monday. The Chinese national was remanded in custody to Castlerea Prison and is due to appear before Harristown District Court on Friday.
Sources close to the investigation have estimated the find to be significantly larger than the previous cannabis haul discovered by Cavan and Arva Gardai last month with early indications suggesting the total sum could reach almost €90,000.
"The operation was intelligence led and took place at about noon on Sunday in an area between Crossdoney and Killeshandra. The search involved the Cavan Drugs Unit and members from Arva Gardai," a Garda spokesperson told the Leader.
The Leader also understands gardai are working on the basis that last Sunday's seizure could be linked to the discovery of a similar cannabis growing factory barely four weeks ago during which plants and cannabis producing paraphernalia were seized.
"Investigations are continuing about this," the spokesperson continued. "They (previous drugs seizure and last Sunday's) are fairly close together and we are looking at the possibility that they are connected in some way."
Last Sunday's raid is just the latest in a long line of sophisticated cannabis and other drug related operations to have been uncovered by gardai in recent months.
In Longford, members from the Longford-Westmeath drugs division discovered €40,000 worth of heroin and a smaller cache of cocaine believed to be around €5,000 in street value last week following a planned search on a house. The intelligence led operation took place in the Glean Riada estate at about 4pm last Wednesday afternoon shortly after a man, living in the Longford area was brought to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar where it was found he had swallowed large quantities of drugs understood to be heroin.
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