Gardaí have uncovered a call centre in Limerick city which was co-ordinating a prostitution ring for clients around the State.
The call centre, which was located in an apartment, was raided at the weekend by gardaí who found up to 20 mobile phones and a significant amount of cash, thought to be as much as €20,000.
Ledgers detailing transactions from people looking for the services of prostitutes from different parts of the State were also recovered.
A man and a woman were arrested at the apartment, which was located in Richmond Court in the city centre.
They were questioned by gardaí under the Sexual Offences Act and later released. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
It is understood the apartment was used as a central office taking calls from people in different parts of the State.
Customers would ring a mobile phone number not knowing where the centre was. They would then say where they were ringing from and try to arrange a meeting with a prostitute in their area.
A fee would be discussed and some of the money would be given to the locally-based prostitute who would also have to send on part of it to the call centre in Limerick, according to one Garda source.
The raid is thought to have been part of a national investigation into a broader vice ring.
It is believed that some of the women working as prostitutes are non-nationals.
Gardaí have recently expressed concern that women from outside the State are being trafficked here to work in the sex industry.
It is understood that gardaí will study in detail the phone records of the confiscated mobile phones to trace calls which were made to the centre.