Cannabis with an estimated value of more than £10 million was seized from a warehouse in Northern Ireland today.
Up to four tonnes of the drug, in bars and packed onto pallets, were discovered when police and HM Revenue and Customs officers raided industrial premises at Newtownards, Co Down.
It is thought the haul of cannabis, the biggest ever uncovered in the North, may have been destined for the Republic.
Two men arrested were being questioned tonight by detectives involved in the operation. And officers were still trying to work out the final weight of the batch in a bid to establish its exact value.
But sources predicted it would comfortably surpass £10 million.
Assistant Chief Constable Peter Sheridan, head of Crime Operations, praised those involved in striking a major blow against the drugs gangs.
He also stressed the seizure had come a day after police, customs and assets-stripping agencies met in Co Derry to assess the cross border crime threat.
Mr Sheridan said: "I would like to congratulate my officers and our colleagues in HMRC on this success. "This is proof of our determination to tackle the scourge of illegal drugs.
"At a strategic level, law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border have just taken part in a conference on organised crime in Limavady. At an operational level, agencies have worked together to protect the public and take drugs out of circulation.
"Such a co-ordinated approach is paying dividends which I am sure is welcomed by everyone in our community." Security sources also revealed there was no immediate suggestion of paramilitary involvement.
The arrests and seizure came as part of the multi-agency Organised Crime Task Force's developing offensive on illegal drugs in Northern Ireland.