Five prison inmates have been arrested in connection with the murders of three Limerick men.
Armed detectives investigating the killings of Shane Geoghegan, Roy Collins and gangland victim James Cronin arrested the men in prisons in the Midlands and Dublin areas.
The five, who are aged in their 20s and 30s, can be questioned for 24 hours.
Rugby player Mr Geoghegan was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity near his home in Limerick in November 2008, while Mr Collins, a father of two, was shot in the back at his amusement arcade in Roxboro Shopping Centre in Limerick in April 2009.
The remains of Mr Cronin were discovered in a shallow grave in a field in Limerick in April 2008. The 20-year-old, from Janesboro, died from a single shotgun wound to the head.
Gardai said the five men were arrested under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act and are being questioned at Limerick’s Roxboro Road, Henry Street and Mayorstone Garda stations and in Clondalkin and Whitehall Garda stations in Dublin.
The arrests were carried out by gardaí from Limerick and members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
James Dillon, of no fixed abode but from Limerick city, was jailed for life after pleading guilty to Mr Collins’ murder.
PA