Record amount of cannabis seized in the postal service

There were 640 seizures at postal sorting centres in 2015, compared with 286 seizures in 2014 and only 60 seizures in 2011.

In 2011, only 8.7kg of the drug - valued at €104,000 - was found.

Last year, 640 seizures turned up 123kg of cannabis, worth around €2.44 million - although the 286 seizures in 2014 had turned up a greater 155kg, worth €3.1 million.

Garda sources told The Irish Times that there was evidence of people making purchases from “websites openly selling cannabis”.

One source said: “It is very hard to say exactly how many of the parcels that Customs is finding in the post are people taking a chance and buying cannabis online, but we see from our own experience and international experience that that method is getting more popular.”