Organised crime operates at international level and all the gangs have strong connections to the drugs trade. The violent nature of the crimes committed is anathema to most and there have been many debates on the issue. Life is a cheap currency in the eyes of those involved in organised crime. There have been gangland murders in Dublin and Limerick, yet members of the drug gangs and their hitmen are free to walk the streets and pose a hazard to ordinary law abiding citizens.