A Limerick man accused of threatening to kill another man and damaging property more than two years ago has been refused bail by the Special Criminal Court.

A seven-hour crime “odyssey”, in which a Limerick gang targeted homes in outlying areas of the city, ended in a chase through fields, a court has heard.

Gardaí in Limerick last night confirmed they are carrying out a “trawl” of admissions at the city’s two hospitals over the past month to find out if any drug addicts were treated for unusual side-effects from heroin.

Contaminated heroin may have caused the deaths of twin brothers found dead yesterday in a rented Limerick apartment — and there are fears many more heroin users may have used a similar batch.