Gardaí have arrested a man they believe is a significant figure in the Irish drugs trade.
They have also seized a quantity of drugs after an internet-based surveillance operation targeting those using the “darknet” to trade in drugs.
The darknet is an online computer network with restricted access and is used chiefly for illegal peer-to-peer file-sharing.
The operation, which broke into secretive encrypted forums used for illicit trading, is believed to be the first of its kind by the Garda.
A south Dublin man and another suspect were arrested on the South Circular Road in Dublin yesterday and are being held at Kilmainham and Kevin Street Garda stations.
During the operation, an estimated €180,000 worth of drugs were seized.
Garda sources said one of the men arrested has become well known to them for allegedly covertly trading in drugs via the online Silk Road forum - a means of secretly trading illegal products and services from images of child sexual abuse to drugs.
Sources said the chief suspect, who is in his 30s and from Harold’s Cross in Dublin, is being investigated for allegedly distributing drugs globally from the Republic.
After tracking the online activities of the main suspect on the darknet, a major operation was put in place to arrest him.
It involved the Criminal Assets Bureau, Garda National Drugs Unit and the Computer Crime Investigation Unit.
Codenamed Operation Charge, it also involved international law enforcement agencies including Interpol and the FBI.
When the Garda team was satisfied the suspect was in possession of illegal drugs, they raided a storage facility on the South Circular Road and arrested the main target, along with the other suspect.
The drugs seized included LSD and ecstasy, and these have been taken away for analysis.
Garda sources said while the arrests and the seizure of drugs were significant, they also seized computers, phones and data storage devices.
Well-placed sources said they were hopeful the electronic items seized may prove an Aladdin’s Cave of high quality intelligence about the activities of the chief suspect and his associates on the darknet.
