Two arrested following oil laundering discovery

Two men have been arrested after gardaí and customs officials uncovered two oil laundering plants in counties Monaghan and Louth.

The plants had an overall capacity to launder 20m litres of fuel a year at a cost of €10m to the exchequer.

The plants were discovered in two connected and intelligence-led operations by Customs officials and gardaí.

The first, near Cararickmacross, Co Monaghan, had the capacity to launder 15m litres of fuel per annum.

Officers seized 40,000 litres of laundered fuel, bags of bleaching agent, a Mercedes car and a lorry with a concealed tank - used for delivering the laundered fuel.

Thousands of litres of toxic waste were also discovered at the site.

Two men, aged 54 and 47, both from Co Louth, were arrested and are currently being questioned at Carrickmacross Garda Station.

The second plant, uncovered at Muff in Co Louth, had the capacity to launder 5m litres of fuel a year.

Bleaching earth, a quantity of oil, two vans and a lorry with a concealed tank were seized at that location.