26.—(1) If a Justice of the District Court or a Peace Commissioner is satisfied by information on oath of a member of the Garda Síochána F44[or if, F45[subject to the provisions of subsections (2) and (2A) of section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996], a member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of superintendent is satisfied] that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that—

(a) a person is in possession in contravention of this Act on any premises of a controlled drug, a forged prescription or a duly issued prescription which has been wrongfully altered and that such drug or prescription is on a particular premises F46[or other land], or

F46[(aa) opium poppy, a plant of the genus Cannabis or a plant of the genus Erythroxylon is being cultivated contrary to section 17 of this Act on or in any premises or other land, or]

(b) a document directly or indirectly relating to, or connected with, a transaction or dealing which was, or an intended transaction or dealing which would if carried out be, an offence under this Act, or in the case of a transaction or dealing carried out or intended to be carried out in a place outside the State, an offence against a provision of a corresponding law within the meaning of section 20 of this Act and in force in that place, is in the possession of a person on any premises,

F47[such Justice, Commissioner or, as the case may be, member] may issue a search warrant mentioned in subsection (2) of this section.

F48[(2) A search warrant issued under this section shall be expressed and operate to authorise a named member of the Garda Síochána, accompanied by such other members of the Garda Síochána and such other persons as may be necessary, at any time or times within one month of the date of issue of the warrant, to enter (if need be by force) the premises or other land named in the warrant, to search such premises or other land and any persons found therein, to examine any substance, article or other thing found thereon or therein, to inspect any book, record or other document found thereon and, if there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence is being or has been committed under this Act in relation to a substance, article or other thing found on such premises or other land or that a document so found is a document mentioned in subsection (1) (b) of this section or is a record or other document which the member has reasonable cause to believe to be a document which may be required as evidence in proceedings for an offence under this Act, to seize and detain the substance, article, document or other thing, as the case may be.

(3) Where any premises or other land is entered pursuant to a warrant issued under this section, the member of the Garda Síochána named in the warrant may do either or both of the following:

(a) arrest without warrant any person or persons found on such premises or other land for the purpose of searching him or them,

(b) so arrest any such person or persons and keep him or them, as may be appropriate, under arrest until such time as such of the powers of search or examination as he wishes to exercise pursuant to the warrant have been exercised by him.

(4) In this section—

"land" includes any structure on land;

"structure" means building, structure or any other thing constructed, erected, placed or made on, in or under any land.]