Three men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing more than €600,000 worth of power tools from vans across the country.
The men are all related to each other, according to the Irish Times, and are believed to be key members of an organised crime gang.
This gang specialises in stealing equipment from vehicles used by tradespeople.
The men were detained yesterday morning following a series of Garda raids in locations including Tuam, County Galway.
Detectives based in Sligo, Roscommon, Meath, Westmeath and Dublin carried out the investigations which lead to the arrests.
They were last night being held for questioning at a Garda station in County Roscommon.
According to this morning’s Irish Times, they are suspected of being involved in a theft of €100,000 worth of high-powered tools from work vans in recent months alone.
Based in Ballymun, the members of the gang in question have strong links to County Galway.
Detectives have established that one arm of the gang is involved in the stealing of tools while another conducts the sale of said tools, often at markets on both sides of the border.
