Gardai have issued an announcement following a major €8 million of heroin seizure on Friday morning.

It followed the interception of a light aircraft and a vehicle in South Co Dublin and Co Kildare. Two men aged in their 40s and 60s continue to be detained at a Garda station in Co Kildare in connection with the seizure. Gardai have said the men can be held for up to seven days.

Assistant Commissioner Organised and Serious Crime Justin Kelly said "the importance of disrupting criminal networks supplying this type of drug into our communities has been reinforced by the recent wave of overdoses in Dublin city centre."

Read more: Heroin worth €8 million seized as two men arrested

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He added that worldwide, law enforcement agencies are seeing an increasing use of general aviation (non-commercial flights) to smuggle drugs.

The Assistant Commissioner further said: "This operation shows the importance of multi-agency co-operation, in this case between An Garda Siochana, Irish Customs and the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC-N) in Lisbon, Portugal. I wish commend the dedication and professionalism of all the personnel involved in this complex operation.”

Investigations are ongoing and further updates will follow.

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