Convicted drug lord John Gilligan and a well-known close associate have been arrested in Spain.
The notorious Dublin gangster and another Dublin-born criminal are being held by Spanish officers in Alicante along with one other person.
It is not yet known why the 68-year-old mobster is being held by police on the Costa Blanca with Gardai trying to gather more information from Spain regarding his arrest.
Gilligan's close associate is also Irish while the third person arrested remains largely unknown.
A source said: "John Gilligan was arrested with two others in Spain.
"One of the other people is well-known to Gilligan and is also Irish.
"There is currently no details on what he was picked up for and Gardai are still making inquiries with authorities on the matter."
Gangster Gilligan has long ties to Spain where he owned a pub with associates, The Judges Chamber, while running his monstrosity of an empire.
He was found not guilty of the murder of Veronica Guerin in 1996 despite his gang members being convicted of the brutal killing of the journalist.
He was jailed for drugs trafficking spending 17 years in Portlaoise Prison in 2013.
