A handgun was recovered by gardaí yesterday, during raids on homes, in an operation targeting criminal gangs in Limerick.

Fears were expressed yesterday that the closure of a Garda station in a former Limerick crime blackspot could allow a feuding gang to reassert control.

A mastermind criminal who ran a global ATM bank card scamming operation from his house in Limerick has consented to the forfeiture of more than €8,000 in cash, found during a garda search at his home.

Cork City Council is to vote on a motion calling for the criminalisation of the buying of sex which, if passed, would make it the latest local authority to back the measure.

A 16-year-old boy arrested in connection with a tiger kidnapping in which the son of a Limerick sub-postmistress was abducted at gunpoint is due before Limerick District Court this morning.

Gardaí are investigating the discovery of eight pipe bombs in a housing estate in Limerick City yesterday afternoon.

SENIOR gardaí in Limerick were in talks last night with the office of the DPP about charging a man in connection with the murder of retired Eircom technician Martin Purcell.

A MAN in his 30s was in custody in Limerick last night on suspicion of the murder of a father-of-two who suffered multiple stab wounds in a frenzied knife attack.

A SEPARATED father of two, known as a “quiet man who loved his music”, was found slaughtered yesterday in a brutal attack at his flat in Limerick.

A LIMERICK shop worker was seriously injured when an angry customer lashed out at her with a heavy chain over a refund claim.

THERE’S this funny inspirational poster you may have seen: The first drawing shows a giant fish, mouth agape, chasing a tiny minnow.

THERE was a larger than usual attendance for the early morning start of the AVIVA Irish Schools Track and Field Championships at Tullamore on Saturday when star racewalker, Kate Veale (St. Augustine’s, Dungarvan), made her first appearance on home soil since winning the bronze medal in the junior walk at the European Cup in the Algarve.

GARDAÍ in Limerick yesterday made a major breakthrough in the murder investigation into the brutal death of retired soldier, Jimmy Boyce.

GARDAÍ hunting for the killer of retired Limerick soldier, Jimmy Boyce, said numerous statements have been taken and house to house inquiries are continuing.

GARDAÍ hunting for the killer of retired army hero, Jimmy Boyce, who was found brutally beaten to death at his home in Limerick on Monday, have identified a main suspect.

GARDAÍ in Limerick are confident an extensive street CCTV system in St Mary’s Park will give them an important lead in the murder investigation of former army man, James (Jimmy) Boyce.

A 72-YEAR-OLD army hero whose body was discovered in his Limerick home on Monday was “ferociously beaten to death”, gardaí confirmed last night.

A LIMERICK man, aged 26, was fighting for his life last night after a fall.

FOLLOWING a huge garda operation to crack down on drug dealing in Limerick, 22 people have been charged with possession of cocaine for sale or supply.

GARDAÍ are waiting to interview a Limerick criminal who was injured in the single car crash near Adare on Tuesday night which claimed the lives of two of his associates.

TWO men and a woman with links to the notorious McCarthy Dundon gang were still being held by gardaí in Limerick last night in connection with a stabbing incident on Sunday.

A NUMBER of teenage girls have been rescued from a brothel in Limerick following raids by gardaí.

PROSTITUTES are moving into Limerick city centre in increasing numbers, Garda figures for the first eight months of this year confirm.

FIVE men and three women were in custody last night after a major arrest operation in the ongoing investigation into the murder of Lee Slattery last May.

GARDAÍ in Limerick who were yesterday investigating a serious assault on a champion Ethiopian athlete have not ruled out a racist motive.

THE number intravenous heroin addicts in Limerick has spiralled to nearly 600 from a figure of “almost zero” four years ago.

A MAJOR Garda transfer commenced in Limerick yesterday as up to seven units, including the immigration service, began to move out of the cramped Henry Street divisional headquarters to the adjoining Estuary House.

GARDAÍ have reportedly cracked a money-laundering operation being run by a Limerick feud gang.

GARDAÍ yesterday called in a state pathologist to carry out a postmortem exam on a Limerick man whose body was discovered in his home.

I STRONGLY agree with Frank O’Brien (Letters, May 15) that the Lansdowne Road stadium should have retained that name given that Irish taxpayers carried most of the cost.

WHEN the project to re-develop Lansdowne Road, as a sort of national sports stadium, was launched the estimated total cost of the project was estimated to be €365m.

A WOMAN pushing a child in a buggy on a Limerick street was attacked yesterday by another woman who slashed her with a scissors.

A LIMERICK gangland figure who sparked a major garda alert returned to the country last night following a holiday in Mexico.

JUSTICE Minister Dermot Ahern and Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy will visit Limerick today to get an up-to-date briefing on the developments in tackling the ongoing gang feud in the city and plans to fight city centre crime.

LIMERICK’S new garda chief yesterday pledged that a new strategy to tackle crime which is driving shoppers out of the city centre will have major results.

UNIVERSITY of Limerick students have changed the name of the college rag week in an effort to curb antisocial behaviour.

THEY couldn’t stop the Irish going over the try line, but they did manage to stop them at the door.

GARDAÍ in Limerick yesterday began using a hi-tech radio system which will prevent criminals monitoring their movements by using radio scanners.

AS the funeral takes place today of a Limerick man who died in sinister circumstances, gardaí are believed to have made significant progress in the investigation into the disappearance and death of Francis Greene.

DAYS after making a big heroin find at a house in Limerick, drugs squad detectives returned early yesterday to the same house and found a much larger quantity of heroin.

GARDAÍ recovered a handgun and made five arrests during a series of early morning raids across Limerick city as part of a crackdown on criminal gangs.

SERIOUS crime in Limerick has dropped significantly over the first six months of this year, figures compiled by Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal.

A SENIOR Garda officer said yesterday that children in deprived areas of Limerick see local gang figures as people with status and glamour who fill a void in their lives.

LIMERICK gardaí were last night on full alert in Moyross as the body of stab victim Darren Bennett was brought to the local Corpus Christi parish church.