Six people are still in custody tonight over the discovery yesterday of chemicals that could have made drugs worth €500 million.
A raid on a warehouse in Walkinstown, Dublin, discovered ingredients used in making drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines.
The total volume of chemicals seized had a potential to manufacture 50 million ecstasy tablets and two-and-a-half tonnes of amphetamines, with an estimated street value of €500 million.
They were found in forty-five 200-litre drums that came through Rotterdam from China.
Six people, four men and two women are being questioned at Garda stations in Clondalkin and Tallaght where they can be held for seven days. It is understood they are from China and Afghanistan.
The find was made after months of investigation by the National Drugs Unit and Customs officers with Dutch police. There were finds of smaller amounts of chemicals in a number of other Dublin locations and in the Holland.
A Customs source also said it was believed the oil was going to be broken down into smaller quantities here and redistributed to European destinations.
Investigations are continuing both here and in Holland. One source said the drugs were not likely to made in large quantities but that the chemicals were to have been distributed to several European destinations.