Gardaí this morning arrested four men in Co Laois as part of a major investigation into counterfeit banknotes.
The four men, aged in their 40s and 50s, were arrested under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act 2001. They are being held at Portlaoise and Tullamore Garda stations under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
A site, including a number of buildings near Borris-in-Ossory, has been sealed off for a detailed technical examination.
Officers from the Garda Technical Bureau are due on site to carry out further forensic tests.
The operation was led by the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and supported by the Emergency Response Unit and other units.
It was undertaken after what gardaí said was an analysis of increased activity in counterfeiting across Europe.
The investigation, which has been going on for a number of months, involved information sharing across a number of international law enforcement agencies including Europol.
