Gardaí questioned six men in Limerick last night following one of the city's biggest anti-drugs trafficking operations.
Around 60 gardaí - backed up by members of the National Drugs Squad, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Dogs Unit and a Garda helicopter from the Air Support Unit - took part in a series of dawn raids.
A handgun, €60,000 worth of cocaine along with heroin and cannabis were recovered in the searches that took place mainly in St Mary's Park, a halting site in Southill and in the city centre.
Gardaí also seized €10,000 in cash during one of almost a dozen separate searches which continued until lunchtime yesterday.
Six men were arrested during the raids and taken into Garda custody where they were still being questioned last night.
Garda sources described the six as "high profile players" in the local drug trafficking trade.
It is understood that three of those arrested yesterday were related and that a fourth man had links to a criminal gang based on the south side of the city.
The six, ranging in age from 18 to 30, are being questioned at Henry Street, Roxboro and Mayorstone Garda stations in Limerick, and can be detained for a maximum of seven days.
Supt Gerry Mahon, who co-ordinated yesterday's searches, which were part of "Operation Swan" - described the results as significant in terms of the continuing crackdown on drugs trafficking in the Limerick region.
"I'm very satisfied with how the operation went and it would be one of the biggest operations of its kind in the city to date," said Supt Mahon.
"The searches followed ongoing surveillance operations and formed part of 'Operation Swan' which is an operation that was developed locally and falls under the umbrella of the national operation - 'Operation Street Clean'," he added.
Gardaí have seized almost €3 million worth of drugs in Limerick in the past 18 months.
Earlier last month €1.2 million worth of ecstasy tablets were found when gardaí stopped a van on the main Dublin to Limerick Road on the outskirts of the city.
A massive 100,000 ecstasy tablets - the biggest ecstasy seizure in the city - were found in the van and the driver and two others were arrested in relation to the haul.