Cannabis plants seized by gardaí

A SUSPECTED major cannabis grow-house operation was uncovered at the weekend in the Glenhest area near Newport.

Members of the Garda Divisional Drugs Unit, backed up by uniformed officers, swooped on a house in the townland of Cloggernagh West on Friday night.

Cannabis plants with an estimated street value in the region of €50,000 were discovered.

A man in his fifties was arrested under Section 7 of the Drug Trafficking Act and taken away for questioning. The suspect is understood to be a native of Lithuania.

When taken before a special court in Ballina at the weekend he was remanded in custody to appear at Harristown Court (Castlerea Prison) this Friday (June 27).

He faces a charge of culitvating cannabis under Section 17 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

It is understood that there had been surveillance on the property for a number of weeks.