Plane suspected of carrying €8.4m of cocaine had travelled to France, Scotland, and Belgium

"This operation has prevented a considerable quantity of dangerous drugs from making it onto our streets," said Garda Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly.

A light aircraft was seized at a commercial airfield in Co Longford.

The plane suspected of carrying €8.4m of cocaine into an airfield in Abbeyshrule, Longford, on Thursday afternoon had left the same airfield the day before to fly to Dieppe, Normandy, where it is believed the consignment was loaded onto the aircraft.

The light aircraft had been engaged in internal flights in Ireland in recent weeks, but had also made trips to Scotland and Belgium in recent months. It flew to the same airport in France in mid-July.