GARDAÍ HAVE ARRESTED and charged eight people across the country as they investigate an organised crime group (OCG) with international links.
The arrests are part of Operation Tara, which is a nationwide anti-drug dealing initiative, and took place in multiple counties in the south of the country, the midlands and in Dublin.
Operation Tara is a national strategy targeting drug dealing and drug trafficking. It acts as an umbrella classification in An Garda Síochána for seizures and searches and provides gardaí with resources.
Gardaí said the investigation began in November 2024. Its focus has been on dismantling an organised crime group.
In a statement An Garda Síochána said it is led by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).
“As part of Operation Tara and ongoing investigations targeting organised crime, three women (aged in their 30s and 40s) and one man (aged in his 30s) were arrested last night in Cork, Laois and Carlow, by investigating Gardaí in the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and were charged in relation to an ongoing investigation into an organised crime group.
“All four are due before court sittings at Carlow District Court, Tullamore District Court and Fermoy District Court this morning,” the Garda statement said.
There were also four men arrested, aged in their 40s and one in their 30s, will also appear before courts in the Criminal Courts of Justice Dublin, Thurles District Court, and Carlow District Court for charges related to the investigation.
“This Organised Crime Group (OCG) has a transnational element, linking in with criminal entities abroad.
“Last night’s operation follows on from a number of arrests which were made as part of this investigation between February 2026 and April 2026,” the statement added.