Drugs seized by IRA handed to police

A Catholic priest handed thousands of pounds of drugs to police in Northern Ireland yesterday which the IRA claimed they had seized en- route to a dealer.

The RUC said the cannabis, with a street value of pounds 15,000, was handed in to officers in the border town of Newry. The IRA issued a statement to the BBC saying the haul was destined for a key supplier in south Down. RUC drug squad officers were investigating.