UP TO 40 houses on the south side of Limerick were searched by armed detectives yesterday as part of ongoing investigations into organised crime in the city.
The pre-planned searches, which were led by Assistant Commissioner Kevin Ludlow, took place exactly three weeks after the murder of Roy Collins (35) at the amusement arcade where he worked at the Roxboro shopping centre.
His murder and the subsequent threatening of members of his family last week have sparked outrage across the country and gardaí in the city have come under increasing pressure to clamp down on the activities of criminal gangs.
This week, Roy Collins’s father, Steve Collins, encouraged members of the public to take part in a protest march against criminal elements, which will take place in Limerick in the coming weeks.
“We need to send out a message that we’re totally sick of this. If people are sick of hearing Limerick being described as ‘Stab City’ this is their chance, instead of complaining about it. We need to send a message to the whole country,” he said
While not directly connected to the ongoing murder investigation, yesterday’s searches were conducted by detectives attached to Roxboro Garda station who were assisted by uniformed gardaí, members of the Limerick divisional search team and a number of national support units including the Garda helicopter.
The day-long operation focused on houses and areas of open ground in the Ballinacurra Weston area of the city, which is a known stronghold of the Dundon-McCarthy gang.
Two men, one of whom has been charged with the murder of Roy Collins, were arrested at a house in the same area within two hours of the fatal shooting.
No arrests were made during yesterday’s operation but gardaí say they are committed to tackling ongoing criminality in the city.