Five men, including four from Ireland, have been arrested after €3.4m worth of cannabis herb was seized in Spain.
The drugs were discovered north-west of Malaga among pallets of lettuce in a truck that was destined for Ireland.
The four Irish men – aged 56, 45, 35 and 33 – along with a 27-year-old Romanian man were detained on 6 May and have been brought before a Spanish magistrate.
The discovery came following a lengthy investigation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Spanish Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil.
Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll said: “We are very grateful to the Spanish law enforcement authorities for their ongoing and very productive cooperation with the Garda Síochána in tackling organised crime groups operating in both Spain and Ireland.
“This operation has dealt another significant blow to the capacity of the organised crime groups involved to continue their trade in controlled substances.”