Up to 150 houses and premises in Limerick and several surrounding counties were searched by gardaí today as part of a major investigation into organised crime in the city.
'Operation Platinum', which began at 6am, involved more than 250 uniformed officers and detectives from divisions in Limerick, Cork and Kerry as well as personnel from the Criminal Assets Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and the Garda National Drugs Units.
Three men, aged in their late 20s, were arrested during the operation and a substantial quantity of documentation and computer equipment was seized.
In addition, several drug seizures - mostly cocaine and ecstasy with a total potential street value of over €200,000 - were made.
Gardaí said two firearms, a quantity of ammunition, more than €100,000 in cash and two vehicles were also seized during the searches.
The search of around 120 homes, 15 professional offices, seven business premises and a number of other properties also included several addresses in Dublin.
The three men arrested are being held at undisclosed Garda stations in Limerick city and gardaí said the operation is “very much live and ongoing”.
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