A nine-month Garda investigation into armed gangs outside the Dublin metropolitan region has resulted in the seizure of 135 firearms and nearly 1,700 arrests, it has emerged.
Gangland activity has proven most concentrated in Limerick city, with around one in four of the total arrests and firearms seizures taking place there.
The Garda push against armed gangs followed the decision at the start of the year to extend Operation Anvil from the Dublin area across the country.
Assistant commissioners and chief superintendents around the country had submitted plans to Garda headquarters, in Dublin, for short, intense, targeted operations against known organised criminals in their areas.
On approval of the plans, the senior officers have been given access to Operation Anvil's €21.5 million budget, using it to pay overtime to teams of detectives from specialist units. These include the National Surveillance Unit (NSU), Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab), Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the force's serious crimes squad.
Many operations have been based on information gathered covertly by the NSU and local gardaí. Since the beginning of the operation in January, 1,683 suspects have been arrested with 135 firearms seized. In Limerick, where the operation has yielded the biggest results, 445 people have been arrested and 33 firearms recovered.
The most high-profile of the Limerick investigations took place in June when gardaí discovered a cocaine-processing operation in the city. Nine firearms were found in searches linked to one drugs gang. These included Glock semi-automatic pistols, a Beretta semi-automatic pistol, machine pistols and two handguns. The find was made after 50 detectives and uniformed officers raided 10 premises.
In August, gardaí working on Operation Anvil in Co Meath and Co Louth discovered a cocaine distribution business when they raided a premises near Athboy, Co Meath. Three men were arrested while in the process of preparing for sale cocaine with a street value of €400,000. In follow-up searches, gardaí discovered nine firearms.
In July, Cab officers working under Operation Anvil were drafted in after cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and amphetamines valued at €4 million were seized just outside Killaloe, Co Clare.
As well as the activity in the regions, Operation Anvil is continuing in Dublin. Since its inception in May 2005 some 508 firearms have been seized in the Dublin area. Over 37,000 Garda checkpoints have been set up in areas in the capital where drugs gangs are known to operate.
There have been 2,911 arrests in Dublin, 52 of which related to murder inquiries. Gardaí have conducted 15,416 drug searches, 1,579 theft searches and 1,129 firearms searches. The value of stolen property recovered has exceeded €12 million.
Operation Anvil was established in response to rising levels of armed crime in Dublin in the first half of 2005.
