There’s nothing like hearing somebody describing how passionate they are about what they do and the reward their work brings them, personally. It makes a great storytelling, and it makes a great radio.

And today, the passion and sense of duty of one clearly committed Revenue Customs Officer operating at the busy port of Rosslare, in County Wexford, was brought to us by reporter, Evelyn O’Rourke, on the Today programme.

Here’s how this particular officer, Gerry McGrath, described the moment, in June of last year, when he and his colleagues discovered 215 kg of herbal cannabis, concealed underneath a shipment of meat.

“At that moment, the adrenaline rush is huge. As officers, it’s just amazing. Then all the systems kick into place. The driver, then, he breaks down. It’s either tears, or its nervousness at what’s going to happen.”

And what actually does happen, when you make a discovery like that? Well, as Gerry McGrath described, “the day just moves so quick. You have to get it out, you have to test it. We do our field tests down here. Then he’s interviewed, the product is taken out, the gardai are informed. Then, we bring it to the Forensic Science Ireland headquarters. It is forensically examined there, the statements take place over a few days, and then a file is completed.”

What made that discovery particularly satisfactory was that it was down to the simple but essential diligence of the officers on duty. And the personal rewards they get from a successful outcome such as the above is abundantly clear.

“The adrenaline buzz is just unbelievable. All your hard work you do over days, weeks, months, then this happens. It’s great because it wasn’t intelligence-lead. It was just being vigilant, being out there on the ground. On the beat. For a large amount of cannabis like that, brilliant.”

Gerry McGrath was one of several officers Evelyn met during her day at Rosslare Port, as she recalled speaking to Sean O’Rourke. Amongst them, Maureen Dalton, the Revenue’s Enforcement Manager at Rosslare Port, and two of the all-important “canine units” (dogs, to you and me), called Alfie and Deefor, who are an integral part of the team.

Their handler, Shirley French, described how, although the dogs at owned by Revenue Customs, they live full-time with their handlers as part of the family. Shitley lives with Alfie 24 hours a day and she described how, just a few weeks ago, he was responsible for detecting around 60,000 illegal cigarettes coming in through the port.

To listen to the full interview and report, click here.

Photo credit:  Mark Renders/Getty Images