Gardaí in Dublin yesterday seized approximately one tonne of cannabis resin, with an estimated street value of €7 million, as part of an ongoing investigation into criminal activity in the city.
In what is the second major seizure of the illegal substance this week, officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation discovered the drugs after they stopped and searched a van on the M1 motorway at Whitehall at 1.15pm yesterday.
Two men travelling in the van, aged 40 and 34, were arrested at the scene. They were last night being held at Santry Garda station under Section Two of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act.
In a statement, the Garda Press Office said the seizure, depending on the result of analysis, may have a potential street value of €7 million.
On Monday 1.5 tonnes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated €10.5 million, were seized at a warehouse near the Naas Road in Dublin
The drugs were shipped into Dublin Port from Spain, and were packed in boxes labelled "notepads".
A spokesman for the Garda Press Office last night said it was "very early days" in the investigation into yesterday's discovery. He refused to comment on whether the two seizures were linked.
However, gardaí are understood to be investigating the possibility that both hauls may have been destined for distribution by the same Dublin criminal gang.
It is also considered likely that the seizure of cannabis resin with a total estimated street value of some €17.5 million in recent days may have a significant impact on the availability of the drug in the city in the coming weeks.