Photographs: Luke Cassidy
Three men are being questioned this evening after gardaí in Dublin seized cocaine with a street value of up to €3.5 million.
Two men from Dublin and a Nigerian national with an address in Dublin were detained after 25 kilos of the drug were discovered hidden under pallets in a lorry on the North Strand in Dublin's inner city last night.
"Pending further forensic analysis of the drug seized, it is estimated that it could have a potential street value of over €2 million," a Garda spokesman said this morning.
One of the crates used to hide the cocaine
But he added: "The guys who made the seizure reckon it is better than usual quality and could be worth about €3.5 million".
It is believed the drugs had come through Dublin Airport this week from South America, via Lagos and Amsterdam.
It is understood gardaí believe a West African drugs gang are behind the smuggling operation.
The seizure followed a joint operation between Customs officers and gardaí from the National Drugs Unit.
The men, all of whom are in their 30s, are being held at Store Street Garda Station for questioning under Section Two of the Drug Trafficking Act. They can be detained for a week before being charged or released.
Independent TD for Dublin Central Tony Gregory said the seizure was evidence of the growth in cocaine use throughout Ireland and of the failure of Government drugs policy.
"The emergence of crack cocaine across Dublin's North City and the involvement of a new source of supply are the most worrying developments," he said.
At a press conference this afternoon Gardaí put the seizure on display. The haul included nearly 40 bags of cocaine weighing under a kilo each.