The judge noted the two friends had gone away for breast enhancement surgery and questioned if that was essential travel.
Gardaí seized €90k in cash, two Rolex watches, expensive designer goods and extensive financial documentation.
The searches were carried out in Kilkenny and Waterford yesterday.
Revenue officers discovered the cash during a routine search of a man from South Africa.
The men, from Dublin and Meath, were remanded in custody.
Three men in their 40s have been arrested.
A man in his 30s was attempting to board a ferry to Holyhead while carrying €45,000 in cash.
The money was found in the suitcase of a British man travelling to Malaga in Spain.