A Belfast man arrested by Gardai over a £16m cannabis seizure in West Clare nearly 13 years ago has been released pending a report to the PPS.The 1.7 tonnes of drugs were found on a boat docked at Kilrush in County Clare in November 1996. It is understood it had sailed from Gibraltar. BBC News reports the 46-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday morning and questioned by detectives from the PSNI's organised crime branch.
In 2000, Northern Ireland businessman Colin Lees was jailed for 12 years for playing a "pivotal role" in smuggling the seized drugs. Lees, from Magherafelt, had claimed he had been unwittingly used by others to help smuggle the cannabis into the Republic. However, a judge at Belfast Crown Court said he had been at the heart of the matter, directing and orchestrating operations and the purchase of the boat used to carry the drugs.
