Drugs worth €80,000 found as dig for missing Trevor ends

Gardaí found a consignment of drugs worth over €80,000 in their search for missing man Trevor Deely, it emerged last night.

The intriguing discovery marked the end of an unsuccessful five-week dig for the Bank of Ireland worker, which concluded last night.

The haul of heroin and cocaine was discovered weeks after a handgun was also found at the site in Chapelizod.

Neither seizure is believed to be linked to the suspected murder of Mr Deely.

Sources said that both investigating gardaí and Mr Deely's heartbroken family had been left "bitterly disappointed" that no trace of him had been found after over a month of extensive searching.

The drugs and gun seizures have led gardaí to believe that the site has been used as a 'stash area' by gangland criminals.

"Sure you could go digging up any waste ground in Dublin and end up finding these items," a senior source said last night.

"Some fellow who is either dead or locked up may have discarded the stuff at the location."

There is also no evidence linking the drugs to the handgun which was recovered in the early days of the search.

At the site yesterday there was evidence of the meticulous and painstaking work that has been done since the search began.

Large sections of the overgrown landscape have been cleared of vegetation so that surveying and excavation could be carried out.

While many trees remain standing, most of the lower-lying vegetation has been cleared away to expose the bare earth underneath.

Black waterproof sheeting was placed on the gates and railings to stop people peering into the search site, while CCTV cameras monitored the gates and perimeter.

A low-loader was seen outside, possibly there to collect a digger that was manoeuvring just inside the main gates.

Sighting

A lorry then arrived to collect a number of bins from within the site. The search ended last night with the mystery of Mr Deely's disappearance no closer to being solved.

However, officers said they would continue their probe.

Mr Deely, a Bank of Ireland worker, was last seen in the early hours of December 8, 2000, in the Haddington Road area of Dublin city centre.

The last known images of him were captured by a CCTV camera at the junction of Haddington Road and Street at 4.14am.

A man dressed in black, who gardaí believe also spoke to Mr Deely outside his place of work minutes previously, can be seen following him in the direction of Haddington Road.

Following a lengthy search at the site, the agony for the Deely family will continue almost 17 years since his disappearance.

Mr Deely's father Michael has previously told how he has to stay strong for the rest of his family.

"I get tired but my nature is optimistic," Michael said in an interview with this newspaper in 2015. "I have a responsibility to the rest of my family. If they see me cave in, how can I expect them to keep going? It's important that I stay strong."