A man in his 60s has been arrested after cannabis worth around €360,000 (£302,000) was seized at Dublin airport.
The drugs were seized by customs officials after a search of the man at the airport on Sunday morning. The man was arrested by Irish police (An Garda Síochána) and taken to a police station in the Dublin area.
Police officials said the drugs would be sent for examination and added that the investigation was ongoing.
In Ireland, virtually all drug cases are tried in court, although such a policy is now under review and cases of this nature are increasingly being referred to specially established drug courts.
In practice, the sentence in a heroin possession case will depend on whether it is a first time conviction. Possession for personal use will in most cases not result in a custodial sentence, the case is likely to be limited to the imposition of probation or a suspended sentence. The penalties range from a fine or community service to a suspended sentence.
