Five of the six people arrested in connection with a shootout and weapons find at a house in Virginia, Co Cavan on Monday night are still in custody this morning.
The four men and one woman are being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Ashbourne, Kells and Monaghan Garda Stations. They range in age from 20 to 34. One woman was freed without charge overnight.
Gardaí are still hunting up to three men who escaped the scene of Monday night's incident at an empty house at Coppenagh Cross, two miles west of Virginia on the road to Ballyjamesduff, in which a number of shots were fired at gardaí.
One man was arrested at the scene, while another was detained after being found hiding in a graveyard in Virginia. At least three of the others were arrested at various addresses in Co Meath.
A large haul of firearms, including handguns, shotguns, rifles, sawn-off shotguns and a very large amount of ammunition, were recovered from the house.
A white Citroen van which was stolen from the Virginia area late on Monday was recovered at Kilmainham Woods in Kells, Co Meath, yesterday afternoon. Gardaí believe some of the men who escaped may have used the van.
Those suspected of involvement in the incident are believed to belong to a west Dublin gang involved in the drugs trade.
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