Four men today received sentences totalling 31-and-a-half years for offences including violent disorder and demanding money with menaces, in the largest tranche of Limerick gangland cases to come before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

Eight Limerick men facing a variety of charges including violent disorder, making threats to kill and demanding money with menaces will stand trial together in March next year.

Eight Limerick men arrested as part of an investigation into extortion appeared briefly at the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.