A fifth person has been arrested as part of the investigation into the suspected importation of drugs from a 'mothership' off the Kerry coast on Monday.
A 28-year-old man was arrested after officers from Revenue's Customs Service and gardaí boarded and searched a cargo vessel, which was at anchor in the Shannon Estuary.
On Tuesday night, gardaí told a special district court sitting in Killarney that they believed there had been an operation to import drugs into the country from a 'mothership' off the Kerry coast.
The court was told no drugs were found, but the ship had been identified.
This afternoon, detectives from the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Revenue officers boarded and searched a cargo vessel.
The man was arrested on suspicion of assisting a criminal organisation to import drugs and is being detained under drugs trafficking legislation at a garda station in Co Clare.
He is the fifth person to be arrested as part of this investigation.
On Monday, four men were arrested at an isolated pier at Meenogahane near Ballyheigue in North Kerry on suspicion of assisting a criminal organisation to import drugs from a ship off the Kerry coast.
The men had been observed going to sea in a rib from the pier just after midnight and were arrested when they returned at 5.20am.
Gardaí also seized night vision and satellite navigation equipment, as well as several encrypted mobile phones which they said they would associate with the highest level of international crime.
The four men are aged from their early 30s to their mid 40s and have addresses in Derry, Glasgow and Manchester.
Gardaí say significant international enquiries are being made involving Interpol, Europol and the maritime drugs investigation unit in Portugal and other policing forces to to confirm the identity of each of the men and to establish their alleged role in the planning and importation of drugs.
Solicitors for the four men say they are entitled to a presumption of innocence.
An extension to their period of detention has been granted at a district court sitting. Gardaí have until late on Friday night to question them.
Gardaí say their investigation is continuing.
