Eight men have appeared in court in Belfast after police seized an estimated £2 million worth of cocaine, amphetamine and herbal cannabis in Co Down.
The haul was recovered after detectives tracked a consignment from the north of England to Annalong in Co Down.
A Dutchman was also charged with conspiracy to supply offences. Three of the accused were being investigated for money laundering by police after large sums of cash were confiscated.
PSNI detective Stephen Robinson told Belfast Magistrates‘ Court: “It is a major operation into organised crime and into an organised criminal gang.”
He said the year-long investigation was intelligence-led through the PSNI but also involved the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) in England and Northern Ireland as well as the Greater Manchester and Lancashire police.
The seizure followed police raids in Belfast, Kilkeel, Co Down, and Preston, Lancashire, earlier this month.
