Three men were being questioned by police in Cork today following the seizure of a large quantity of arms.
The arrests and seizures were made in Cork city late last night.
A Garda spokeswoman said: "The arrests were made as a result of an intelligence-led operation and involved the attempted purchase of a sizeable quantity of firearms and other high powered weaponry."
The arrests followed a long operation involving detectives and uniformed officers, backed up by members of the Emergency Response Unit and the National Surveillance Unit.
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 and can be held for up to 72 hours before being charged or released.
The seizure was made in the Glanmire and Dunkathel area on the eastern side of Cork.
The operation was targeted against a Limerick based drugs gang and it is understood two of the men arrested were brothers.
It was also reported from Cork that two men were detained in a hotel car park while weapons were being exchanged - and the third arrested a short distance away.
Gardai have yet to detail the weapons recovered but they are said to include handguns, rocket propelled grenades and at least one AK47 assault rifle.
PA