GARDAI have seized a significant consignment of the deadly addictive drug, "crack" cocaine, and have arrested two Jamaican nationals.
The seizure was made at Dun Laoghaire ferry port on Friday night by officers from the North Central Divisional Drugs Unit in Dublin, as two people were about to board a ferry to Wales.
Gardai said about 400g of the drug, with an estimated value of £50,000, was found in luggage.
Two people, from Montego Bay and Kingstown, Jamaica, were charged at Dublin District Court on Saturday with having the drug. They were remanded in custody.
Only a tiny amount of crack has been found in the State. A "rock" of the drug was found in a flat in north Dublin in March 1994. It is believed this was a sample from London.
It is understood the consignment found on Friday arrived at Shannon Airport late last week and was in transit, possibly to London.
According to the British Customs last night, the seizure was "reasonably sized". The largest seizure in Britain was a 10kg shipment found on a Nigerian woman at Gatwick Airport, in 1992. The British authorities estimate crack's value at around £115,000 a kg.
A British Customs spokesman last night said it was more common for cocaine to be smuggled in its original form, as crack was easily manufactured and was four times the bulk of cocaine powder. The annual seizure rate for Cocaine in Britain was around two tonnes.
Crack cocaine is one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs. It is widely abused in inner cities in the United States and has caused a great amount of crime.
Although it is identical to Cocaine, crack is smoked rather than "snorted" and has a far more potent "delivery system". As a result it causes a rapid elevation and a rapid decline.
Crack users experience very great "highs" but equally severe depressions and psychosis. It can be highly dangerous.
The drug is also associated with hyper sexuality and has been a contributory factor in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and Aids.