Two gardaí were hospitalised after seized cannabis-filled vapes are believed to have leaked and caused the officers to accidentally inhale a mix of potentially poisonous gases.

The vapes, which were seized by gardaí as part of an ongoing investigation, were being processed by officers in Edenderry station in Co. Offaly when the incident occurred on Wednesday.

It is suspected that a batch of the counterfeit vapes, which are often defective, caused noxious fumes to be emitted, leaving the gardaí feeling ‘extremely unwell’, sources said.

There is no suggestion whatsoever that the gardaí purposely inhaled the contents of the vapes. Instead, it is suspected that at least one of the devices malfunctioned and that gardaí, when they went to process the vapes, were exposed to a combination of gases which caused them to be overcome and then unwell.

The vapes that were being processed had earlier been seized by officers from a local retail premises.

One garda remains in hospital while a sergeant has since been released. Often made in China, these vapes do not meet the strict regulations that have been set for nicotine-based devices legally for sale in Ireland.

John Joe O’Connell, vice-president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said the officers were ‘overwhelmed’ when they went to do their jobs.

‘The two members involved were overwhelmed with whatever chemicals were released, whether that’s through leakage of whatever was contained in the oils or vapes or even the power sources of those vapes,’ he told Newstalk radio.

A security source explained that it was possible that the batteries involved in powering the devices could have also played a part, as well as the hot weather and the size of the room in which the contraband was being examined.

He explained: ‘The vapes were to be processed, as required by law. It appears that when they were opened, the gardaí involved were met with a mix of gases.

‘This could have also come from malfunctioning lithium batteries which these things use to operate. This was not a case of gardaí getting hit with cannabis fumes. It appears to have been a combination of several things and one member in particular is quite unwell.’

A Garda spokesman said the two members were taken to hospital after becoming unwell while on duty. ‘The members were involved in processing vape products seized from a commercial premises during an ongoing investigation,’ the force said in a statement.

‘An Garda Síochána is providing welfare support to the hospitalised members and their families at this time.

‘Edenderry Garda Station will remain closed pending further examination. Policing services in the area are being provided from Tullamore Garda Station.’ The incident follows a Garda crackdown on the sale of illicit vapes and cannabis-infused gummies (sweets).

In July, gardaí and Revenue seized goods worth €2million over several days, in an operation spearheaded by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).

This involved locations around the country being raided by officers. They included homes as well as shops which had been allegedly selling the drug-laced devices to customers.

That operation involved personnel attached to the GNDOCB, the Customs Revenue Service and drug units based in the Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Kildare and Drogheda areas.

As part of this operation, searches were conducted on July 2 and 8 this year at five business premises and two residential premises in Castlebar, Longford, Drogheda and Carlow.

This resulted in the seizure of substantial quantities of cannabis-infused jellies, cannabis oil-infused vapes and ‘reefer’ cigarettes containing HHC (synthetic cannabis) and THC (the active ingredient in cannabis which gives users a high) – with an estimated value in excess of €2 million. Two men are before the courts in relation to this seizure.