Gardaí are investigating the discovery of drugs worth an estimated €70,000 which were found on board an aircraft on Wednesday.
It was undergoing a routine maintenance check at a hangar in Shannon airport when staff discovered a package in an overhead luggage compartment and reported the find to a supervisor. Customs officials were notified and 1.1kg (2.43lb) of what is now thought to be cocaine was seized.
The aircraft, operated by Dutch airline Martinair, is known to have arrived at Shannon from Amsterdam on November 29th.
Gardaí were notified of the find and members of the Clare Divisional Drugs Unit have been at the scene.
A Garda spokesman said: "On Wednesday evening we were notified [ of] . . . a package on board a plane which had arrived in Shannon for a maintenance check. The package has been sent away for analysis but we believe that the substance is cocaine.
"We have already interviewed those staff members who made the discovery and our investigation is ongoing and will probably involve working with our colleagues in Amsterdam where the plane originated."
The drugs have since been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Garda Headquarters in Dublin for analysis.
Sources indicated that the narcotics may have ended up in Shannon accidentally as the aircraft had travelled from the Caribbean to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport previously before being sent to Shannon for service. It is understood that two aircraft operated by the airline are at the hangar for maintenance.
One theory being explored is that the drugs were being smuggled from the Caribbean to the Netherlands and were left on board accidentally.
The airline operates flights between Amsterdam Schiphol and a number of Caribbean destinations.