A smuggling attempt off Cork which resulted in the recovery of at least €100 million of cocaine "is unlikely to have been the first", the Taoiseach told the Dáil.
Warning that the Department of Justice and all linked agencies "must step up on the action on this matter", Bertie Ahern said it was "too early to draw conclusions about the source of drugs or their intended destinations".
Responding to Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, who said Ireland was considered a "soft touch" by drug smugglers, Mr Ahern acknowledged that "in the past number of years there has been evidence of increased cocaine smuggling by maritime traffic into Europe from the Caribbean and South America which often involves leisure craft landing in remote locations.
"While Ireland has experienced seizures of that nature in the past few years, the coasts of Spain and Portugal appear to be the main known landing locations. However, it is clear from yesterday's events that remote inlets also constitute targets for smugglers."
Mr Rabbitte said the UN assessed that only 10 per cent of drugs coming through Ireland were seized and this was "an enormous accidental confiscation".
This indicated that "such an enormous quantity of drugs could be transported through this jurisdiction without hindrance to Britain or wherever".
Ireland did not have a coastline protection service like other states and he asked if the Taoiseach intended to act on that. Mr Ahern said: "We are participating with a number of other countries in the establishment of the maritime analysis operations centre for narcotics in Lisbon. That is a direct response to the growing threat of cocaine smuggling.
"This is a significant initiative and is intended to focus on targeting the sea cocaine routes in the EU."
This latest seizure was "exceptionally large and obviously we were lucky to intercept it".
Mr Rabbitte said that a similar consignment though not as large was bound for Weston Airport which had no customs facility. "We seem entirely unprepared" for such smuggling attempts.
Mr Ahern acknowledged that the seizure was made because of weather conditions, but he said Ireland was co-operating through agencies such as Interpol, the World Customs Organisation, the UN International Drug Control Programme and Serious Organised Crime Agency in Britain.
