Spanish police in Malaga have arrested two Irish men suspected of belonging to the illegal Real IRA dissident paramilitary group. The men were arrested yesterday and taken to Madrid where they are being questioned by specialised police.

Police told reporters yesterday that the two men were arrested shortly after a big shipment of cigarettes had arrived at a nearby port. Police searched a warehouse where they found a large quantity of documents and seized two lorries.

The Interior Ministry said that the arrests were the result of an investigation into bands smuggling cigarettes into Spain. The Ministry confirmed that the two men arrested are suspected of sending to Ulster money obtained from cigarette smuggling operations.