Gardai, the Naval Service and customs have seized a huge quantity of cocaine with an estimated street value of €500 million from a yacht off the southwest coast.
Three men aged between 44 and 52 have been arrested.
The operation was carried out in conjunction with the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics) in
Lisbon.
The 60- foot yacht was boarded by a naval boarding team from the naval vessel LE
Niamh. The suspect packages are currently being examined by customs and garda officers.
The Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern led tributes to the Drugs Task Force on the operation this evening.
"I want to congratulate and compliment all those involved for their professionalism and dedication to duty, a massive drugs haul like this should not be seen just in terms of the hundreds of millions of euro of
drugs seized, but also in terms of the lives saved and the misery avoided as a result," said Mr Cowen.
Dermot Ahern said it was another 'practical and successful example of different agencies working closely together, sharing intelligence and achieving a fantastic result.'
The Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said the operation was a 'timely reminder to us all of the dangers the Naval Service confronts in the assistance it gives to the Gardai and Customs Assets in respect of drug interdiction.'
Fine Gael Justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan also congratulated the authorities involved but said the incident demonstrated Ireland was "still incredibly vulnerable to large-scale drug smuggling."