Three men arrested by armed Gardaí on M7 found carrying stolen power tools

Members of the Armed Support Unit signalled for the van to stop while it was travelling between Junction 17 and 16 eastbound last night.

Gardaí uncovered stolen property including a quad, a chain saw, a strimmer and a trailer containing a power washer which are also suspected of being stolen.

The owner of the recovered property has been identified.

The three males in their 30s were arrested at the scene and brought to Portlaoise and Kildare Garda Stations where they were detained as per Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, a Garda spokesperson said.

The three “continue to be questioned.”

"This operation was ran under the Winter Phase of Operation Thor.”

Following an increase in burglaries in September and October of 2017, the Gardaí set up the Winter Phase of the operation to prevent burglars from exploiting the reduced hours of daylight during the winter months.