Police foil 'arms cache import'

Police in Cork have foiled what is being described as the attempted purchase of a large cache of arms.

Three men have been arrested. It is understood the weapons were not destined for paramilitary use.

The arrests and seizures were made in Cork city on Friday night during an undercover operation targeting organised crime gangs.

"The arrests were made as a result of an intelligence-led operation," said a garda spokesman.

"This involved the attempted purchase of a sizeable quantity of firearms and other high powered weaponry."

Police said the operation focused primarily on Cork and Limerick but that the organised crime networks targeted stretched further across the country.

Garda Superintendent Kevin Donohoe said: "This particular phase of the operation involved assistance from law enforcement agencies overseas and a covert element.

"No weapons were actually procured by criminals in the course of their efforts.

"This was an extensive operation and the results achieved to date are significant in the Garda Siochana's efforts to tackle organised and serious crime networks throughout the country."

The arrested men, two in their 20s and one in his 30s, have been detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.