Drone seized by gardai as criminals try to smuggle drugs into Irish prison on Easter Sunday

A drone has been seized by gardai investigating attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into a prison in Dublin on Easter Sunday.

A number of arrests have been made as part of the investigation and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"As part of an ongoing operation targeting the supply of controlled substances into prisons in the west Dublin area, Gardaí from Ronanstown garda station became aware of an attempt to carry out a drone delivery to a prison on Sunday, April 20," said a garda spokesperson.

Later on Easter Sunday, a residential property in west Dublin was searched under warrant. 

"During the search a drone and a number of electronic devices were seized. Follow-up searches were conducted in south-west Dublin and a vehicle was seized," added the spokesperson.

READ NEXT: Could the next Pope be Irish? Vatican announces the death of Pope Francis

An image released by gardai suggests a number of mobile phones and a hand-held games console were among the items seized during the search.

Four adult males, aged in their late teens, 20s, 30s and 40s, were arrested and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at garda stations in the Dublin region. 

All four have since been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. 

Gardai say investigations are ongoing.