The Naval Service has said the massive cocaine seizure off the southwest coast this week was a complicated operation and was put together at very short notice.
A forensic examination of the 18-metre yacht on which a tonne of cocaine was recovered is under way in Cork.
The haul, estimated to be worth between €70m and €80m, is believed to be one of the biggest drugs seizures at sea in Europe this year.
The Makayabella remains under armed guard after being escorted by LÉ Róisín to Haulbowline in Cork Harbour last night.
Speaking at a news conference in Haulbowline today, Captain David Barry stressed the multi-agency operation was "textbook" and "delivered on behalf of Ireland".
Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Mahony said it will be some weeks before the purity of the drug is confirmed but it is cocaine.
He said the sharing of intelligence was critical to the success of the operation.
Three men aged 70, 35 and 28, believed to be from west Yorkshire in England, were arrested on board the yacht.
They are being held at the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork and can be held for up to seven days.
A 43-year-old man was arrested in west Yorkshire in England in a follow-up operation.
He has since been released on bail pending further investigation.
The National Crime Agency in the UK is searching for two other suspects in connection with the seizure.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Commander Eric Timon of the Naval Service said the vessel will be subject to a forensic examination by Customs and gardaí.
They will assess the quantity and quality of the controlled substances on board.
Mr Timon said the operation was based on intelligence received by the National Crime Agency and the French customs service, through the maritime analysis and operations centre based in Lisbon.
The yacht was 200 nautical miles off Mizen Head when the seizure was made.
It was boarded under cover of darkness in the early hours of Tuesday.
The crew are not believed to have put up resistance.
The shipment is understood to have originated in South America, while the yacht set sail from the Caribbean.
It is not known at this stage if the drugs were due to be landed in Ireland for movement to the UK or if they were due to be brought ashore in the UK directly.
The Director of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre, which coordinated the intelligence behind the operation, has said the Irish Joint Task Force did an excellent job in intercepting the vessel.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Frank Francis said he believed some of the cargo would have ended up on mainland Europe.
"From our own personal experience in dealing with previous loads and loads that have gone into west Africa, we know that these loads are broken up.
"It's easier to deal with threats like this if you get close to the source, or you get close to the distribution before it actually gets split up.
"And so to intercept mid-Atlantic is actually an easier way of managing that threat," Mr Francis added.
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