MV Matthew: PSNI seize items in Newry over largest-ever Irish drugs haul

The elite Army Ranger Wing stormed MV Matthew in September

Searches have taken place in Newry as part of the cross-border investigation into the largest drug seizure in the history of the Irish state.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Síochána (Irish police force) conducted co-ordinated operations on Tuesday.

A vehicle and mobiles phones were seized, police said.

A woman, aged in her 30s, was also arrested in Dublin on Monday.

She is in custody and can be held for up to seven days under Ireland's Criminal Justice Act.

Officials recovered more than two tonnes of cocaine after a Panamanian-registered ship, the MV Matthew, was stormed by armed forces and impounded on 26 September.

The drug was supplied by a "murderous" South American cartel group, Garda Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly told reporters at the time.

The elite Army Ranger Wing stormed the vessel with assistance from the Naval Service, Air Corps, Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and customs officers.

Officials recovered more than two tonnes of cocaine with a estimated value of €157m (£136m)

Mr Kelly said it was a "hugely significant, transnational operation" with cooperation from international drug enforcement partners in the United States, UK, France and Portugal.

The ship's captain and crew of 24 were detained for questioning at the time. Seven people have since been charged.