Cannabis resin with an estimated street value of €7 million was seized by gardaí and customs officers yesterday in the latest cross-Border operation aimed at tackling drugs importation in to Ireland.
The find in Dublin coincided with the disclosure that a major figure in the Irish drugs trade had been arrested in Belgium on suspicion of smuggling large quantities of cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.
The 41-year-old Limerick man was arrested more than two weeks ago in a series of raids involving the Garda and police officers in Belgium, Holland and the UK.
In one such search, the Dutch National Crime Squad seized a van containing a mobile laboratory capable of manufacturing an estimated 50,000 ecstasy tablets an hour.
Up to 500,000 such pills, and two firearms, were also seized in a raid on the home of a Dutch national linked to the Limerick man.
Follow-up raids in Belgium on several premises, including a warehouse, yielded ecstasy tablets, cannabis, five firearms and ammunition, illegal cigarettes and chemicals used in the manufacturing of ecstasy.
Yesterday's cannabis seizure was not being linked to the investigation into the Limerick man, who was described by gardaí as one of Ireland's biggest drugs importers.
However, gardaí said that the latest find indicated a high degree of co-operation between law enforcement agencies in Ireland and overseas.
The new discovery comprised one tonne of cannabis resin hidden in a van that was stopped at the junction of Infirmary Road and Parkgate Street by officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit, working with customs.
Two men, aged 25 and 31, were arrested at the scene at 11.30am and were being detained last night under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act at Kilmainham Garda station.
It is understood the drugs had been transported by ferry from Holland, and were destined for the local market.
The find is one of a series of major drugs seizures made in the State in recent months, including the discovery of €10 million worth of cannabis resin at Knockirr, Co Kildare, in August.
Meanwhile, the Limerick man who was arrested on October 27th last remains in custody on the order of a Belgian investigating magistrate.
The prosecutor's office in Antwerp confirmed last night that they were holding an Irish citizen in detention in connection with an ongoing inquiry into drug dealing.
"I can confirm at this moment that there is an investigation going on focusing on drug dealing" involving the Irishman, said Dominique Reynirs, spokesman for the Antwerp prosecutor's office.
She said a judge of instruction in Antwerp was dealing with the case and would be able to reveal more details on the case in the near future.
Under Belgian law, suspects can be taken into custody for 24 hours, after which they must appear before a judicial tribunal to confirm their detention. The continued detention of a suspect must be sanctioned by the judicial tribunal every month.
The Limerick man had been living abroad for a number of years but still has connections with criminal elements in his home city. He had also built up strong links with Dutch and Belgian criminal gangs, according to gardaí.
Arrested while travelling between Holland and Belgium, he has been linked by gardaí to the cannabis found in Knockirr.