Three men were being questioned tonight about a suspected drug dealing operation based near Belfast.
They were arrested by detectives also investigating a shooting at a graveyard in Holywood, Co Down.
A 26-year-old man was seriously wounded after being blasted in the stomach by gunmen who dragged him into Redburn Cemetery. Loyalist paramilitaries are believed to have carried out the attack last month.
After detectives in Belfast today swooped on three men, aged 39, 35 and 22, sources said the arrests were linked to the ongoing investigation.
Officers also scoured premises in the east of the city and in Holywood, police revealed.
A PSNI spokeswoman added: "Both the arrests and searches are in connection with an investigation into serious crime in the Holywood area."