A man in his 30s, wanted in connection with over a dozen burglaries across three counties including Monaghan has been arrested.

The man is being held in a midlands Garda Station following a high-speed chase involving armed gardaí across Meath and Westmeath yesterday.

The incident, which is now the subject of a major investigation involving detectives from two garda divisions, arose as gardaí came across a white Mini Cooper driving at high speed outside Kells shortly after 3pm.

Despite repeated attempts by officers attached to the Meath/Westmeath garda division to intercept the vehicle, the driver continued at high speed resulting in assistance from the force’s Armed Support Unit (ASU) being drafted in.

The chase continued across the county border and into Westmeath, where an ASU jeep was rammed outside Delvin. Two men aged in their 30s, were arrested and taken to a Garda Station in Westmeath where they were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

One of these men has since been released and one currently remains in custody.  The Irish Independent are reporting detectives from Monaghan are due to travel to Mullingar today to quiz the man over a string of burglaries in the county in recent weeks.