Gardaí investigating the murders linked to a gang feud in Dublin say the criminal activity is being fuelled by the drugs trade and orchestrated from abroad.
They also say that the aim of the new special crime taskforce will be to seize criminal assets from low and middle-ranking drug dealers and other criminals in a faster and more efficient manner.
In their latest security briefing, senior officers said they expect arrests to be made overseas as part of the probe into the international crime cartel behind the feud between two gangs.
Gardaí said an unprecedented spate of underworld-ordered murders in Dublin was being directed from Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.
Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahony said the tentacles of the criminal "conglomerate" involved also reach into Russia and the so-called Marseille Mafia.
"There is no doubt about what's happening in this country and impacting on these communities - particularly in the inner city communities of Dublin - is being orchestrated from the south of Spain and from Holland and indeed from the UK," he told the briefing.
Asked if he expected imminent arrests overseas, Mr O'Mahony said: "Of course I do anticipate [arrests], I hope."
Last week, Gareth Hutch, who was in his 30s and the father of a young son, became the latest victim when he was shot dead outside Avondale House flats complex, where he lived on North Cumberland Street in the north inner city.
He is believed to be the seventh victim of the feud between the Kinahan and Hutch gangs.
Mr O'Mahony said the international dimension is a challenge for the investigations.
The establishment of the Criminal Assets Bureau after the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996 to strip criminals of their wealth has probably driven gangsters overseas and out of its reach, he added.
"We will follow those people who are guilty of these crimes or indeed guilty of organised crime activity in this country to wherever it takes us and bring them back to justice here," he added.
Senior gardaí are considering basing some officers overseas to assist other national forces as part of the crackdown.
"We are dealing with a huge crime conglomerate; we are not just dealing with Ireland," said Mr O'Mahony.
"It reaches out into Russia, into the Marseille Mafia, all based in Spain."
As well as targeting crime bosses, the newly-established garda special taskforce is going after low-level associates in Dublin.
Garda Deputy Commissioner John Twomey warned that even those who go out to buy a mobile phone for a killer are equally responsible.
"Those people who are involved in the fringes of these crimes, those that are involved in any of the logistics, the purchasing of the phones or purchasing of cars are equally as culpable as those who pull the trigger," he said.
"They figure centrally in our investigations."
Last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny demanded an international response to the murders in Dublin.
He suggested the security response was being hampered because offshore crime bosses were behind the hits.
Listing off some of the country's most murderous crime gangs in the past, he said they were all based within Ireland and could be targeted at a national level.
