Three men have been arrested after the seizure of heroin valued at about €1 million in a joint operation between the Garda and British police.

Searches were carried out yesterday morning in Dublin and Meath, and 7kg of heroin found. The three arrested men are in their 40s and 50s and were being questioned at Dublin Garda stations. One of the men is believed to be well known in celebrity circles in Ireland.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau carried out the operation with the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.

While all of the seized drugs must undergo testing to confirm what the parcels contain, initial examinations suggest it was heroin and was valued at about €1 million.

Det Chief Supt Angela Willis, the head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said the seizure was a blow against drugs traffickers.

“This substantial seizure of heroin will help keep our communities and people safe and will impact significantly on organised crime groups involved in the international drugs trade,” she said.