Eight men charged over €5 million drugs haul

Eight men have appeared in court today charged in connection with the seizure of drugs worth more than €5 million yesterday.

One other man arrested in connection with the same incident remains in Garda custody.

The drugs, along with six guns and ammunition, were seized following a series of swoops on suspects in Dublin and Meath.

The huge haul follows months of surveillance and intelligence gathering by the drugs unit backed up by other Garda squads. Gardaí say the operation aided by the Police Service of Northern Ireland involved a large number of personnel and person hours.

The haul, which is estimated to be worth around €5.3 million included 200 kg of cannabis resin, 150 kg of herbal cannabis, 96,000 ecstasy tablets and a kilo of a powdered substance.

There were also six firearms, including a Steyr machine pistol, found in special compartments hidden within a number of vehicles that were also seized by gardaí.