This follows a search conducted by An Garda Síochána (Irish police) in Swords, County Dublin, on Saturday.

During this search, 40 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis with a combined weight of 20kg were seized, along with €7,000 (£6,000) in cash.

Gardaí said the drugs will be sent for forensic analysis.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary said: “This large seizure is another step towards the dismantling of this gang, from whom An Garda Síochána… have now seized over €2 million in illegal drugs.

“An Garda Síochána’s continued efforts will ensure that those in our communities who are involved in criminal activity will be targeted and brought to justice.”

Holyhead on Anglesey was originally due to reopen on 20 December, but the port said Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 ferry berths will need to remain closed to prioritise safety.

The prolonged closure follows two incidents affecting the Terminal 3 berth on 6 and 7 December, resulting in part of the structure collapsing, which the port said made it unusable.

The port has apologised for the disruption on the main sea route between north Wales and Dublin in Ireland, but said it was still assessing the full extent of the damage.

It follows uncertainty as to whether the port would reopen before Christmas, and the Irish prime minister Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Monday it was “highly unlikely”.

However, the Welsh government had said on Monday that it remained hopeful it would open by 20 December.

Stena Line and Irish Ferries each operate four daily ferry sailings travelling each way between Holyhead and Dublin.

On average, two million passengers use Holyhead a year and about 1,200 lorries and trailers make the crossing every day.

The closure had already led Ireland’s national postal service to abandon plans to use Holyhead for Christmas deliveries.

President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Ger Hyland, said he was not surprised by the ongoing closure, but it continues to be “detrimental” to its members and the Irish and Welsh economies.

“We’re now travelling hundreds of miles more, paying higher ferry costs because of a lack of available routes,” said Mr Hyland.

“It’s meaning a huge commercial cost to the industry which won’t be seen until after Christmas,” he added.

Stena line apologised for the inconvenience caused and said it was doing all it could to mitigate the effects of the closure.

In a statement, the ferry operators said it was offering sailings from Dublin to its ports in Birkenhead, Fishguard and Heysham, as well as additional sailings from Belfast to Cairnryan to assist the flow of trade and passengers.

Managing director of haulage company BM Transport, Darren Murphy, said they would typically ship 75 to 120 loads a day through Holyhead but are having to run at half of its capacity.

The company is based in Monaghan, in Ireland, but also has a depot in Mona in Holyhead, and Mr Murphy says he is concerned it’s going to become an “absolute nightmare” going into January.

“I’d say nobody seems to have a solution and neither the Irish government or the Welsh government have come up with any sort of increase capacity,” Mr Murphy added.

In a joint statement, the Welsh and Irish government said it was “pressing on at pace” with contingency plans in a coordinated effort between itself, the Port Authority, Stena Line, Irish Ferries, and Isle of Anglesey council.

In a statement, it added: “We will continue to work together in the short term to ensure passengers and freight get through, and in the longer term to preserve the resilience and success of the Port of Holyhead, which is so important to both our nations.”

The closure of the port comes after Storm Darragh battered the UK with gusts up to 93mph (150km/h).

The high speed winds caused damage to Terminals 3 and 5, and the port said underwater inspections to begin remedial works were delayed to Tuesday, 10 December, once Storm Darragh had passed.

The museum has said it removed the figure of the mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from public viewing two weeks ago in light of his civil trial case.

On Friday, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found he had assaulted Nikita Hand by raping her in a hotel in Dublin in December 2018.

McGregor was ordered to pay Ms Hand almost €250,000 (£206,000) in damages.

In the statement, the museum said: “As a family-friendly attraction, we regularly review our exhibits to ensure they align with our values and the expectations of our visitors.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions about future displays accordingly.

“The sculpture was “one of the more popular ones”, especially with tourists, a spokesperson told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

“If you look at most photos online taken by people visiting the museum, a lot would be with McGregor,” the spokesperson said.

The MMA fighter’s father, Tony McGregor, unveiled the waxwork in August 2017.

Following the verdict of the civil rape case, a number of companies have said they will no longer stock products which have been linked to Conor McGregor.

The company that now owns a whiskey originally co-founded by the fighter has said it would no longer be using his name and image for their marketing.

A spokeswoman for Proximo Spirits said it had been the “100% owner of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey since 2021”.

Belfast bar Filthy McNasty’s on the Dublin Road has said it is suspending its sale of McGregor’s Forged branded stout, which it helped to launch in December 2023.

The bar, which sports a mural on the side of its building advertising the brand, told the Irish News it is “currently awaiting” the mural being removed.

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has also pulled products associated with the fighter.

Earlier this week, Tesco said it was removing McGregor’s products from its stores and online.

It was joined by BWG Foods, which said the products were no longer listed for distribution across its network of SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE, Londis and XL stores.

Cork-based Barry Group said it had also decided to delist Forged Stout and Proper No Twelve from its Costcutter and Carry Out retail outlets.

A spokeswoman said it reflected the company’s “commitment to maintaining a retail environment that resonates with the values of our customers and partners.

“Supervalu, Centra, Daybreak and Mace, all owned by Musgrave, are also no longer stocking products linked to the mixed martial arts fighter.

Irish airport operator DAA said the whiskey was removed from sale in both Dublin and Cork airports over the weekend.

On Monday evening, several hundred people marched in Dublin in support of Ms Hand.

The protesters marched from Dublin City Hall to the office of the Irish director of public prosecutions (DPP) to express concern at what they believe to be a failure in not taking a criminal case against McGregor.

A higher legal threshold applies to a criminal case than a civil case as in a criminal case the burden of proof is beyond reasonable doubt.

The DPP told Ms Hand in 2020 that there was “insufficient evidence” to bring a criminal case and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous.

Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, the outgoing Irish justice minister, Helen McEntee said at the weekend: “We have a very independent system in this country, and I think that’s right.

“I really think it’s important that we respect that independence.”