As part of an ongoing investigation into unlawful money lending, gardai in Clare have arrested 11 people following searches in the Kilrush on Tuesday morning.
The searches, which commenced at 7am, were carried out at a number of premises in the area, including private and business premises and involved local gardaí assisted by Criminal Assets Bureau, Regional Support Unit, Special Dectective Units from Galway, the National Criminal Intelligence Unit as well as offcials from Revenue, Social Welfare and Clare County Council.
The arrests include five males aged between 18 and 55 years, and six females aged between 20 and 49 years. All those arrested are detained at stations in Clare, Limerick and Galway under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, centres around complaints received from various individuals and is focused on persons suspected to be engaged in unlicensed money lending.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.