14 people have now been arrested in connection with the seizure of more than £8 million worth of drugs and a quantity of guns in a joint operation between the Dutch police and Gardaí. Seven men and two women have been arrested in Dublin and five people are now in custody in Holland, including two Irish nationals. Dutch police say several hundred thousand ecstasy tablets, 50 kilos of amphetamine powder and over a 1000 kilos of hash were seized in the operation. Irish Sources say the drugs were destined for Ireland. Senior Garda officers have been in Amsterdam liasing with their Dutch colleagues for the past month.
In a raid on an apartment in Amsterdam, the Dutch police arrested John Cunningham, who absconded after being convicted of abducting Jennifer Guinness in Dublin 14 years ago. The Dutch police also arrested an Englishman during the operation and seized about 15 guns, as well as a large quantity of amphetamines and cannabis, according to Garda sources. In a related operation in Dublin, members of the Garda National Drugs unit have arrested four people in Dublin and seized drugs worth almost £250,000.
John Cunningham is believed to have been the leader of a Dublin gang that took Jennifer Guinness hostage in 1986. A ransom of £2 million was demanded. After a night-long siege in Dublin's Waterloo Road in which shots were fired, she was released unharmed. No ransom was ever paid. John Cunningham was one of four people jailed for the kidnapping. He received a 17-year sentence, but in 1996 was transferred from Limerick Prison to Shelton Open Prison in County Wicklow in preparation for his release. He absconded from Shelton Open Prison a year before he was due to be released.
