€60,000 cocaine find in Limerick

COCAINE worth more than €60,000 and a hand gun were found by gardaí in a major search yesterday over a wide area of the south side of Limerick city.

Up to 40 gardaí including armed detectives and members of the dog unit took part in the operation.

The search commenced at around 8am when a number of houses were visited in Hyde Road, Prospect.

No arrests were made.

Later the gardaí went to Southill, Raheen and Dooradoyle.

Supt Frank O’Brien said it was part of the ongoing fight against drugs gangs who are operating in the south side of Limerick.

While the McCarthy Dundon gang are the main drugs gang in the area, a number of smaller and violent gangs also operate a drugs network in Southill.

Due to the escalation of drug dealing in the area, a special drugs unit has been established in Roxboro which operates under the divisional drugs squad based at Henry Street.