GARDAÍ HAVE ARRESTED two men and seized €8,500 of suspected cocaine and €31,000 in cash following a checkpoint on the M8 Motorway in Fermoy, Cork.

Officers said that at around 1.30pm yesterday, they stopped and searched a car which was found to contain €31,000 in cash that had been hidden.

Both occupants of the car were brought to Fermoy Garda Station for the purpose of a search but were not arrested. That investigation is ongoing, gardaí said.

Shortly after 2pm, officers stopped and searched a second car which was found to contain around €8,500 euro of suspected cocaine.

The suspected drugs were seized and will now be sent for analysis. Two men, aged in their 20s and 50s, were arrested and brought to Fermoy Garda Station.

The driver of the car, man in his 20s, also failed a roadside drug test.

Speaking at Fermoy Garda Station, Chief Superintendent Thomas Myers said: “Our roads policing units throughout the country are trying to reduce the deaths on our roads by enforcing road traffic legislation and raising awareness of road safety though school talks and our social media accounts.

“But the roads policing units are also there to deny criminals the use of the road network and gather intelligence. They play a vital role in keeping our communities safe.”