Gardaí have seized cocaine worth nearly €8.5m that was flown into County Longford on private plane.

Investigators seized the drugs after pulling over two vehicles in the Lough Owel area of Co. Westmeath.

Follow-up searches were then carried out at homes in Naas and Waterford City and at an airfield in Longford.

A light aircraft plane was seized from the airfield.

In all, 120kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of €8.4m was seized.

Two men, aged 40 and 54-years-old were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and taken to Ashbourne Garda Station in Dublin

Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly said: “This operation has prevented a considerable quantity of dangerous drugs from making it onto our streets and causing significant harm to our communities.”

“An Garda Síochána is committed, under Operation Tara, to disrupting and dismantling the organised criminal networks who profit from drug trafficking and impact so negatively on our society.”

The Garda operation is ongoing.