A fisherman unwittingly landed the most valuable catch of the season last weekend: a drugs haul worth up to €450,000.
The man was fly-fishing in the River Liffey in Co Wicklow on Sunday lunchtime when his hook became snagged in a mysterious package.
When he pulled in his line, his catch turned out to be a bale of cannabis resin.
He informed gardaí in Blessington, and divers carried out searches of the river at Ballyward, Manor Kilbride in Wicklow, today.
"Follow-up searches uncovered 12 more boxes containing 20 bars each of what again appeared to be cannabis," said the spokesman.
Gardaí estimate the total find of 13 boxes of cannabis has a street value of €450,000. It is being sent to the Garda Technical Bureau for analysis.
It is not known how long the boxes of cannabis were in the water. A Garda team are investigating the discovery and continuing to search the river. The area around Blessington Lakes is a popular spot with fishermen.
