GARDAÍ HAVE SAID that the arrest of three men and seizure of a gun in north Dublin yesterday has “no doubt” prevented loss of life.

Yesterday, gardaí from the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Security and Intelligence Section stopped two vehicles in the Artane area.

Three men, aged in their 20s, 40s and 50s, were arrested and a firearm was seized. 

All of the men were detained under provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939/98 at garda stations in Dublin. 

Detective chief superintendent Angela Willis, who heads the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said: “The seizure of firearms and the arrest of those who are prepared to use them to take life is a priority for [this unit].”

Assistant commissioner John O’Driscoll, of Special Crime Operations, added: “I have no doubt that this operation has prevented a firearm being used to take life and enabled the Garda Síochána to keep people safe.”