Customs officers have seized a significant quantity of cocaine in Co Limerick estimated to be worth €21 million.
At least 300kg of the drug were discovered yesterday on a bulk carrier ship that had docked at the Port of Foynes.
The cocaine was hidden in a bale which had a buoyancy aid and a beacon attached.
This is a method used by maritime traffickers which allows the drugs to be thrown overboard and picked up by a so-called 'daughtership'.
The MV Verila - a Maltese-registered cargo ship - arrived in Foynes from Montreal in Canada.
It was built in 2022 and is being detained pending a full search to see if there are more drugs on board, which could take a number of days.
Gardaí and customs officers are carrying out a search of a cargo vessel in Foynes Co Limerick. The vessel is suspected of carrying drugs worth over €20m. pic.twitter.com/6vLUlxI8Y7
— Tomás O Mainnín (@omainnintomas) December 20, 2023
A major search operation is continuing on board the MV Verila today.
Revenue say officials have deployed specially trained drug detecting dogs to search the vessel for any further cocaine.
The ship's crew will remain in Ireland to be interviewed as part of the investigation.
No arrests have been made.
It is the second such maritime cocaine seizure from a bulk carrier following the seizure of over 2,000kg of the drug worth an estimated €157m from the MV Mathew in September.
Additional reporting: Jennie O'Sullivan
