Five men arrested for drug offences in Carrickfergus

A total of five men have been arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences by officers from the National Crime Agency and the PSNI.

The operation is part of a long-running Paramilitary Crime Task Force investigation into the alleged organised crime activities of the South East Antrim UDA.

The men, aged 33, 38, 39, 40 and 43, were detained on suspicion of conspiring to supply class A drugs.

Tuesday's operation saw more than 80 officers execute six warrants in Carrickfergus.

They are currently being questioned by officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force at Musgrave Police Station.

The arrests relate to the seizure over one kilo of cocaine found following searches of two parked cars and nearby land in the Greenisland area of County Antrim in November 2020.NCA Deputy Director of Investigations, Craig Naylor, said: “Today’s activity is the culmination of a major investigation undertaken by the NCA in partnership with our colleagues in the PSNI as part of the PCTF.

"The SEA UDA have long known to be involved in many forms of organised criminality, doing untold damage to the community and exerting fear in neighbourhoods.“Working with our partners in the PCTF we are determined to do all we can to bring that to an end.”Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Head of Criminal Investigations Branch, Detective Chief Superintendent John McVea, said: “Working with our partners in the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, we are committed to continuing to target the organised criminality associated with all paramilitary gangs who exploit their local communities to cause harm and create fear.

“Drugs cause nothing but destruction and distress, not only to the people who take them, but also to their families who deal with the heartbreaking fall out associated with drugs, including death, spiralling debts and intimidation.“Criminals who supply illegal drugs don’t care who they harm in the process of making money to line their own pockets and fund other paramilitary activities.“The PCTF has the resilience and determination to target, disrupt and frustrate those who continue to do the greatest harm to the people living in our communities.”