Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of ‘skunk ‘ cannabis seized by the PSNI

DETECTIVES from the PSNI’s Reactive and Organised Crime Branch have arrested a 24 year old woman in England as part of an ongoing international investigation into the supply of ‘skunk’ cannabis.

The suspect was arrested in the Birmingham area yesterday and has been brought to Northern Ireland for questioning following a series of searches in England.

Police believe a Chinese drug gang with links to Italy and Northern Ireland are behind the racket.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Inspector Andy Dunlop, said: “I believe this is a significant arrest and this investigation is making substantial progress.

“To date, we have arrested 13 people, eight of whom have been charged.

“We have seized more than £2 million worth of cannabis in Northern Ireland in recent months and seized large amounts of cash.

“We are maintaining close contact with our colleagues in the Italian Carabiniere, as arrests and seizures have been made in Italy. We are also working closely with the National Crime Agency as well as a number of other law enforcement agencies in the UK and Ireland.

“Our objective is to ensure we identify and apprehend as many of those allegedly involved in this criminality and bring them before the courts, as well as seize drugs and as many criminal assets as possible. Our inquiries will continue for some time and there will be further arrests.”

The 24 year old woman is to be questioned at Musgrave PSNI station under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act..