The searches resulted in the seizure of a total of 58kg of suspected cocaine, with an estimated value of €4,060,000

Investigations are ongoing, a garda statement said.

Seven men are charged with offences arising from the seizure of 2.25 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated value of more than €157 million.

Nikola Penchev (34) was arrested after Revenue officials and gardaí acted on a tip off that the drugs were on board the ship

Two men have gone on trial at the Special Criminal Court, where they deny having the 2.2 tonnes of cocaine for sale or supply on board the Panamanian cargo ship in what was the largest such seizure in Irish history

The seizure was made as part of a joint operation conducted by Revenue’s Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Terenure Divisional Drugs Unit