A VIABLE pipe bomb and hand grenade, along with up to 200 kilos of cannabis and one kilo of cocaine, was found during a Garda raid on a house in Finglas west, Dublin, last night.
A man in his 40s was arrested at the scene in Barry Drive and an Army bomb disposal team was called in to assist local Garda teams.
The grenade and pipe bomb were taken away for further examination following the search which took place shortly before 6pm.
Garda sources believe the man was storing the weapons and drugs for a drugs gang in the area.
Local Garda members, the Finglas Drug Unit and Crime Task Force were involved in the operation and they were assisted by the Organised Crime Unit.
It is thought the cannabis has an estimated value of up to €400,000, while the cocaine has an estimated value of €80,000.
Earlier yesterday, a 32-year-old man was also arrested in the west Dublin area after gardaí seized an estimated €220,000 worth of cannabis.
Officers attached to the Ronanstown drug unit made the arrest following a search of a house in Clondalkin at about 4pm.
So far this year, Garda officers have seized almost as many illicit drugs in the first six months of this year as in all of last year.
The increasing seizure figures are being driven by sustained high demand for heroin and cocaine.
In the past two years heroin has been seized in much greater quantities than any other illicit drug.