Three men arrested as cocaine worth up to €4.2m seized in Cork
The drugs seized during the operation. Picture: Revenue
Cocaine worth up to €4.2m was seized after two vehicles were stopped by gardaí in Cork early this morning.
Three men were arrested at about 3am after gardaí found some 60kg of cocaine worth an estimated €4.2m in two vehicles that were stopped and searched towards the Dunkettle area of Cork.
The men, who have been living in Ireland but are not Irish nationals, may have links with international organised crime groups, a source said.
The arrests followed an intelligence operation between gardaí and Revenue Customs officers.
The drugs are believed to have come into Ringaskiddy Port in a freight container.
The suspects are currently being questioned by gardaí in Cork garda stations, including Gurranabraher and Togher.
The drugs have been removed for analysis.
On first inspection, gardaí believe that 60kg of cocaine, which would have a street value of €4.2m, was seized although the seizure could be worth up to €5m, a source said.
The men are being held on suspicion of drug trafficking.
It is expected that they will be charged tomorrow or Monday. They could be held for questioning for up to one week with court-ordered extensions.
Ringaskiddy Port is under significant garda surveillance, a source said.
Two of the men are in their 20s and one is in his 30s. They are currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
During this operation, Revenue officers seized approximately 60 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of €4,200,000.
The operation on Saturday was part of an intelligence led operation targeting persons suspected of involvement with organised crime conducted by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and personnel attached to the Revenue Customs Service.
This morning's seizure is the latest in a series of significant drug seizures in the country in recent weeks.
An estimated €9.3m worth of cocaine was seized at Rosslare Europort last week.
Another consignment of cocaine, with an estimate street value of €11.4m, was seized in Rosslare on July 13.
On July 18, 69kgs worth of cocaine was discovered in a number of packages which washed up along the coast of Donegal.
In April, €3.85m worth of cocaine was seized during a garda operation at Ringaskiddy.
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