An 18-month Garda investigation into armed gangs has resulted in the seizure of 573 firearms, nearly 5,000 arrests and the recovery of almost €15 million in property.
Operation Anvil was set up to target gangs in the Dublin metropolitan region and selected areas around the State, most notably in Limerick city.
Since the start of the operation in May 2005, gardaí organised 24,648 searches and 45,548 checkpoints to apply pressure on organised crime. Yesterday they put on display a large array of weapons seized.
Included in the seizures were pistols used by military police, guns used by anti-terrorist organisations and other firearms believed to have originated with Russian gangsters.
The Garda push against armed gangs followed the decision at the beginning of 2006 to extend Operation Anvil to outside the Dublin area.
Assistant commissioners and chief superintendents around the State had submitted plans to Garda headquarters in Dublin for intense and targeted operations against known organised criminals in their areas.
On approval of the plans, the senior officers were 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.
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