Gardaí believe they have uncovered a sophisticated "steal-to-order" car operation which has processed up to €10 million worth of Irish vehicles in the last 18 months alone.
In a raid on a house in the Bagenalstown area, Co Carlow, yesterday, approximately 20 cars were found.
At least eight of the cars which were Irish-registered may have been stolen following domestic burglaries.
Among the cars confirmed to be stolen vehicles were two Mini Coopers, a Volkswagen Beetle and a Toyota Landcruiser.
Officers who participated in the raids also found between eight and 10 UK-registered "donor" cars and the shells of up to 45 other cars.
These cars may have been bought in the UK, and the paperwork transferred over to stolen Irish cars.
One man, understood to have links with several west Dublin-based gangs, was being questioned by gardaí at Blanchardstown Garda station in Co Dublin. He is a wealthy land-owner and owns a 300-acre estate in the southeast area.
Yesterday's raid formed part of an ongoing operation by detectives at Blanchardstown Garda station.
This operation has focused on the activities of a number of individuals in the area who are involved in serious crime.
The individuals, including two well-known brothers, are primarily known for firearms crime, but they have also been suspected of involvement in steal-to-order car crime.
The UK-registered cars, which were described as "fairly old", may have been written off and bought for between €200 and €300 each.
For this reason, gardaí have yet to establish whether these cars were originally stolen vehicles.
Known as donor cars, their paperwork is then used to transfer the identity of the UK car onto a similar Irish car stolen here.
Officers believe those involved in the steal-to-order car ring are breaking into private homes and stealing the keys to the cars in question before making their getaway.
The shells of up to 45 other cars also uncovered during the raid are believed to be either the remains of other donor cars or old cars which have been stripped down and their spare parts used or sold on.
Officers believe the stolen car ring has been operating for up to a-year-and-a-half, with new Irish cars worth a total of some €200,000 processed over the past month alone.
On this basis, the Garda estimates that the operation may have processed up to €10 million worth of cars in the 18 months it has been operating.
Gardaí from the Cos Louth, Meath, Carlow and Wexford areas also participated in the Blanchardstown operation, which ultimately led to yesterday's raid at Bagenalstown.
This is the third major success for Blanchardstown gardaí in their attempts to target this type of crime.