Two people, a male and female, have been arrested following the seizure, by a multi-agency led operation, of some 62,500 tablets suspected to be Alprazolam* and Clonazepam, following an intelligence led operation.
*According to press reports, alprazolam was found during the autopsies held on singer Whitney Housten and Hollywood actor Heath Ledger. High levels of alprazolam several times greater than its therapeutic range can contribute to death, due to its respiratory and central nervous system-depressant effects.
The controlled drugs are benzodiazepine medication, both of which are legitimately prescribed by qualified medical professionals, to treat anxiety and panic disorders, but are sold illegally as street drugs in almost every town and village in Ireland.
The tablets were discovered during a multi-agency operation carried out between Revenue; Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau; and the Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit in Tipperary Town, yesterday evening.
The man arrested is understood to be aged in his 40s, while the woman is aged in her 30s. Further investigations continue, while the couple arrested remain held under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996, at a Garda station in Co. Tipperary.
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