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Cash seized in police raids against loyalist paramilitaries in north Belfast

The Mount Inn in north Belfast.
The Mount Inn in north Belfast. The Mount Inn in north Belfast.

DETECTIVES investigating loyalist paramilitary crime in north Belfast seized a sum of cash yesterday following the search of a bar in the Shankill.

More than 30 officers took part in searches at the premises in Heather Street, off the Shankill Road.

It comes after a week of unrest linked to elements within the UDA in the Shankill and nearby Tigers Bay areas.

A 27 year-old man was arrested after a pipe bomb was found in North Queen Street in Belfast on February 18.

Police declared the object as a "viable pipe bomb-type device".

Separately three men appeared in court on Friday after a gang of 30 masked men attacked the Mount Inn on North Queen Street last Wednesday night.

A number of people were assaulted in the attack.

It followed several incidents in the Tigers Bay area of Belfast last week, including one where a house was attacked and windows smashed.

The Paramilitary Crime Taskforce - established by the PSNI, HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency - conducted yesterday's searches as part of the government's action plan on tackling paramilitary activity and organised crime.

A spokesman for the PSNI confirmed searches had been carried out at the bar.

"A number of licence breaches were detected and approximately £8,000 cash was seized.

"No arrests were made and the premises will be reported for these breaches," police said in a statement.

"This is part of the Task Force’s ongoing effort to promote a culture of lawfulness within Northern Ireland".