Irish Revenue officials have once again intercepted packages containing cannabis from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Spain thanks to the Baileys, two drug-detecting dogs whose sole mission is to sniff out contraband.
In all, packages received at both the Dublin and Athlone mail centres contained 141,000 euros (just shy of $213,000) in illicit weed.
Arriving at the Dublin Mail Centre, the innocuously declared packages — including those labeled as “art supplies,” “coffee pods,” “action figures” and “toys” — were destined for different addresses across the county, according to a statement from Revenue.
Specifically, the packages intercepted on Mar. 3 contained more than four kilograms of cannabis, and 27 grams of cannabis oil and butane honey oil products. Combined, the weed and products have an estimated value of almost 88,200 euros ($133,182)
Just two days earlier at the Athlone Mail Centre, Revenue officers seized almost seven kilograms of illegal drugs and psychoactive substances. This time, the contraband originated from the U.K. and declared as “hair bows,” “football memorabilia” and “photos.”
The haul included weed, cannabis resin, hash cakes, benzodiazepines and apparently the increasingly popular cannabis-infused “jellies” and chocolates. It was estimated to be worth 53,500 euros ($80,785).
Some of the drugs found as part of the recent seizures. / PHOTO BY REVENUE, TWITTER
Detector dogs, each named Bailey, had a paw in alerting the shipments to their human counterparts.
Revenue has publicly announced a number of mail centre-related seizures involving cannabis over the past few weeks.
In January, for example, six packages deceptively labeled as things like “sweaters,” “games” and “women’s coat” could not hide from Dublin Bailey. Inside the packages was 1.8 kilograms of marijuana valued at almost €36,000 ($55,800).
Also at the Dublin Mail Centre, this time in February, detector dogs helped sniff out cannabis, cocaine and the herbal stimulant khat. In all, officers confiscated more than 99 kilograms of illegal drugs, most of that khat, from 50-plus separate parcels originating from the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Kenya and Spain.
Of course, mail centres are not the only places in Ireland receiving cannabis contrary to Irish law. Again thanks to a drug detector dog, this time James assigned to the Dublin port, officers were led to 55 kilograms of cannabis and two kg of cannabis-infused sweets. The drugs concealed in suitcases inside a commercial vehicle were said to have a value of 1.2 million euros ($1.8 million).