One the biggest drug seizures of the year has been made by gardaí in Dublin, with the discovery of herbal cannabis valued at almost €2 million.
Follow-up searches have been carried out in the Republic and in Northern Ireland which have resulted in the arrests of four suspects; three men and one woman.
The haul of drugs was discovered in two crates at a unit on an industrial estate in Clondalkin, west Dublin.
Gardaí said the seizure and arrests following a major operation between several units within the force as well as Revenue's customs officials and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The criminal gang targeted are an international group operating cross-border. A total of 98kg of herbal cannabis was seized having just been smuggled into the Republic.
"As part of an intelligence-led operation targeting organised crime groups operating between different jurisdictions, a joint operation was conducted by the Revenue's Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and gardaí from (the) Security and Intelligence section in West Dublin," the Garda said.
“During the course of this operation two crates, which contained approximately 98kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €1.96m, were seized by Customs Officers at an industrial unit in Clondalkin.
"Gardaí arrested three males aged 57, 49 and 32 at the scene and they are currently detained under Section 2 of The Criminal Justice ( Drugs Trafficking) Act 1996 at Clondalkin and Ballyfermot Garda stations.
“In a follow-up search with the PSNI in Northern Ireland an additional female was arrested and approximately half a kilogramme of cocaine with an estimated value of €35,000 was seized.”
