A serving member of the Gardaí has been suspended while an investigation continues into allegations that information held by the force was used to assist a crime gang.
The Irish Times reports the Garda member, who is based in Dublin, was suspended on Friday morning as the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation's (GNBCI) inquiries continue.
Five properties were searched on Wednesday by GNBCI officers, during which 30kg of cannabis, with an estimated value of about €600,000, €47,000 in cash and a number of mobile phones were discovered and seized.
A former Garda officer, a man aged in his 60s, was arrested and remained in custody on Friday evening after his detention period was extended by three days.
The retired officer had been arrest on suspicion of involvement in offences "relating to allegedly enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation to commit or facilitate a serious offence".
Search operations earlier this week also targeted a number of serving Garda members in positions of middle management, with detectives carrying out inquiries in an attempt to determine whether confidential Garda information was passed to criminals involved in drug gangs.
None of the gardaí targeted in this week's searches were arrested and sources said no findings of wrongdoing have been made against any of the serving gardaí, or the retired officer. However, the one serving garda member has been suspended while the investigation continues.
Confirming the news of the suspension to The Irish Times, Garda Headquarters said: "A member of An Garda Síochána serving in the Dublin region was suspended from duty this morning, Friday, October 1st, 2021 in connection with this GNBCI-led investigation."
