Arrested man was recently released from prison

One of the men arrested in Thursdays Garda raids had just been released from prison before the raids it has been revealed.

The Independent reports that he served a lengthy sentence for firearms offences.He is described as a well-known Limerick criminal.

The following is from The Irish Independent:

A well-known Limerick criminal along with another man, who has not been linked to the local gang scene in the past, were arrested at two separate addresses in the city centre and on the south side of the city at around 4pm on Thursday afternoon

One of the the men, who is in his late 30s, is a well known Limerick criminal who was recently released from prison where he served a lengthy sentence for firearms offences. It is understood that he has recently aligned himself with the Limerick gang once led by murdered crime boss Kieran Keane. The second man, also in his 30s, was known to gardai but was not linked in the past to any of Limerick's main gangs.

The raids, carried out by 50 Gardai took place on Thursday.