Two of the lorries used to transport cigarettes stolen in an armed raid on Belfast Docks have been found near Drogheda, County Louth, this morning.
The first lorry was found in found in Tullyesker while the second was found near Collon. Both vehicles were discovered, empty and abandoned and are being examined by Garda technical experts.
The cigarettes, worth £4 million sterling, were stolen by a gang of seven, who held up four staff from a shipping company, locked them in a container, and loaded four containers onto lorries before driving off.
An RUC spokesman said the cigarettes were bound for Belgium and had French and German writing on the packaging.
One of the detectives leading the investigation into the robbery said it was a well-planned operation involving up to seven men.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Geddis said: "A crane driver was forced to load the containers on to the lorries and this part of the operation could have lasted up to two hours.
"The four staff held hostage during the robbery were not physically harmed but were extremely distressed."
He added that the planned destination for the stolen cigarettes could be either side of the Irish border.
A joint RUC/Garda investigation into the theft is continuing, a police spokeswoman added.
PA