A container filled with €5m worth of cocaine has washed up on Irish shores.

Revenue Commissioners seized the container and its contents after a member of the public found the cylindrical object yesterday amid the flotsam on a beach in Liscannor, Co Clare.

The container held an enormous 75kg of cocaine, the weight of a grown man.

Revenue officials reported today that the torpedo-shaped vessel was most likely attached to a container ship or other sea-going craft, concealed below the waterline. The container has the somehow dislodged, and ended up washing ashore with the tide.

The origins and intended destination of the drugs are as yet unknown, but investigations are ongoing.

Members of the public can report suspicious items and activities to the Revenue Customs ‘Drugs Watch Programme’ on freephone 1800 295295, although Customs officials warn individuals against endangering themselves by interfering with suspicious items.