would you try crystal meth?

Customs officers seized a haul of the drug crystal meth, with a street value of about €250,000, at Dublin Airport yesterday following a joint operation with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Two and a half kilos of the drug, also known as 'ice' and 'yaba', were concealed in the framework of two suitcases and discovered when officers stopped a 39-year-old man, who had arrived on a flight from Lesotho in Africa.

The suspect was arrested and taken for questioning. Gardai had initially been involved in the operation because they wished to talk to the man about immigration issues.

This was the first crystal meth seizure at Dublin Airport and the most significant haul of the drug in the State for more than three years.

The drug is cheaper than heroin or cocaine and is more easily available in other countries as it can be manufactured in 'backstreet' laboratories.

In a separate operation at the airport on Tuesday, customs officers seized €9,500 in cash from a 25-year-old Polish man, who had flown into Dublin on a flight from Warsaw.

The cash was taken from the passenger by the officers under the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act, 2005.

In Dublin District Court yesterday, Judge Brian Smyth made an order allowing the officers to hold on to the money for three months to allow further inquiries to be carried out.

Customs said last night that both seizures were a result of routine profiling of airline passengers by its officers.