5 men have been arrested in connection with an investigation into how illegal horsemeat made its way into the food chain.
The men were arrested on suspicion of participation in a criminal organisation.
The men are aged between 35 and 55 and are being detained at Carrick on Shannon, Longford and Roscommon Garda Stations.
The investigation was conducted by the Gardaí along with the Department of Agriculture and The Food Safety Authority.
The operation investigated how horsemeat that should have been destroyed made its way into the food chain in Ireland.
The arrests follow a series of raids in June 2019 in 7 locations across the country.
Gardaí and officials from the Department of Agriculture and The Food Safety Authority are looking into a number of cases of fraud and deception involving tampering with horse passports and microchips.
