Garda authorities today criticised RTE for naming a suspected Garda undercover agent on its Prime Timeprogramme last night.
The Prime Timedocumentary reported on Garda controlled operations in the drugs underworld.
It examined allegations made by a former Cork Garda, Mr Jack Doyle, that gardaí had facilitated criminal plans to import illegal drugs during the operations and that some of these drugs had filtered through to a drugs gang.
Reacting to the programme, the gardaí today confirmed undercover officers had been involved in what was described as controlled operations were "vital" to bring criminal drug gang leaders to justice.
A garda spokesman told ireland.comthese operations were "highly dangerous" to the gardaí involved and those people helping them.
He said all operations had gone through the legal processes and followed garda regulations.