Gardaí have charged two men in connection with the seizure of a quantity of drugs discovered on a large bulk carrier which docked in the port of Foynes, Co Limerick, last Tuesday night.
The Maltese registered cargo ship The Verila, a large grain carrier, was searched by customs officers and gardaí as part of a joint operation.
The ship was subsequently impounded by customs officers under the Customs Act as a search of the vessel continued over three days.
A large quantity of drugs, estimated to be over 300 kilograms of cocaine, was seized and examined by customs officers and gardaí.
Six men were arrested and detained on Friday under the Misuse of Drugs Act as part of the investigation into the seizure and search of the vessel.
Following consultations with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), gardaí say two of the men, aged 32 and 35, are due to appear before a special sitting of the District Court in Limerick later today.
The remaining four men who were also arrested and detained as part of this investigation have been released from custody and files are being prepared for the DPP.
The ship remains tied up at Foynes harbour and gardaí say their investigation is continuing.
