A boat has been detained in La Coruna, northern Spain, in connection with the discovery of over €100 million worth of cocaine off the Mizen Peninsula in west Cork.
It is understood the boat, a catamaran, was intercepted off the Spanish coast at the request of Irish authorities and escorted to the port. Two men were arrested.
Gardaí believe the vessel was involved in the attempt to land the massive consignment of cocaine in west Cork earlier this week.
Meanwhile, a fourth man was arrested this afternoon in connection with the seizure.
The man, who is in his 40s, was one of two men taken to hospital in Bantry on Monday after the inflatable boat they were in capsized. He was taken from the water in Dun Lough Bay by the Castletownbere lifeboat.
He was arrested at the hospital today after receiving treatment for his injuries and taken to Bantry Garda Station for questioning under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act.
A 72-hour extension to the detention of a man (22) who made it ashore on Monday was granted by Macroom District Court yesterday. It is understood the name and address the man gave belonged to a child who died in 1985 and that his Irish passport had been obtained by a non-existent British firm of solicitors.
Two British men in their 40s were arrested yesterday near Schull after being spotted near Dun Lough Pier early on Monday morning. Gardaí were today granted another 72 hours to question them.
Gardaí have contacted British police in an attempt to track down two other members of what they believe was a six-man drugs gang whom they suspect may have fled back to Britain.
Follow-up searches continued on the south west coast today. A team of navy divers, the navy vessel LE Orlaand four rigid inflatable boats were involved, along with Garda and Revenue personnel.
Today's search focused on the Crookhaven and Dunlough Bay area where a further 26-kilogram bale of cocaine was recovered from rocks on Tuesday.
In all, drugs estimated to be worth around €107 million have been found, comprising some 61 bales with each weighing about 26 kilograms.