Kiwi arrested in Irish raid on cannabis house

Fermoy in County Cork, where a New Zealander has been arrested on drug charges. Photo / www.cork-guide.ie

A Serbian man with New Zealand citizenship has been arrested after a police raid found more than 300 cannabis plants in a house in Ireland, the Irish Times reports.

The newspaper said detectives found the plants with a potential value of €250,000 ($378,500) in an old Victorian house in Fermoy, a small town in southern Ireland.

"One room was filled with 300 cannabis plants and a second was ready for use, complete with lighting, heating and hydroponic system," it said.

"Gardaí [police] arrested three foreign nationals: a Serbian-born man, 55, with New Zealand citizenship, a Malaysian man, 38, and a Hong Kong-born man, 51, with British citizenship.

"The British passport holder is being held in Cobh Garda station, the Malaysian national is being held at Mallow Garda station and the New Zealand passport holder is being held at Fermoy Garda station.

"Gardaí believe the grow-house was in operation for about a month and a number of plants have been sent to the Forensic Science Ireland Laboratory in Dublin for analysis."

A Gardaí spokeswoman in Dublin told the New Zealand Herald that the three men would appear at an urgent court sitting today. She did not know whether the men were living in the house.

"They were located in Fermoy but we don't have any addresses."