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Gardai (Irish police) carried out several smash and grab raids in Dublin's north inner city last Monday and confiscated 7,000 Samurai swords.

The raids were instigated by the Crime Prevention Unit in tandem with the Neighborhood Policing Unit,  District Detective Unit and Divisional Crime Task Force, and rank as one of the largest hauls of banned weapons ever.

Two Chinese men were questioned but released without charge as further investigations continue, and the Director of Public Prosecutions has been sent a file on the case.

Samurai Swords were banned in Ireland on September 1

"The minister has been on record in recent years about the dangers posed by samurai swords. They have been used with very damaging effect on our streets,” said a spokesperson of the Minister for Justice, Mr. Dermot Ahern.

"Because of that he introduced legislation banning the swords.

"The seizure of such a vast quantity of samurai swords should reduce significantly any threat these swords might have proved to the public."