A major illegal drugs facility has been uncovered in West Cork. 

Three men and a woman have been arrested following the discovery of an elaborate cocaine laboratory in Bantry. 

It understood the suppliers were preparing to target the Christmas market in Cork. 

Members of the Drugs Squad uncovered the elaborate facility when they raided a house at Dromleigh in Bantry town at around 10pm on Sunday night. 

They arrested four people at the scene - a man in his 50s, a man in his 30s, a man in his 20s and a woman in her 20s. 

The operation involved the importation of fabric laced with cocaine which could later be removed through a chemical process liquefying the drug. 

Cocaine was found in various forms and gardaí have said it is not possible to put a value on the seizure until each batch is analysed. However investigators expect the haul to be worth in excess of €100,000. 

Two of the men are from Dublin while the third man and the woman are from Cork. 

All four have been detained under Section 2 of the Drugs Trafficking Act and can be held for up to 7 days. 

Gardaí have established that the gang rented the property specifically to set up the facility and the landlord was unaware of what it was being used for.