Five guns have been seized after a garda deployed as part of the force’s response to Covid-1919 had a chance encounter with a group of men moving the weapons.
gardaí were on patrol in Tallaght, Dublin, when they saw a man in a vehicle carrying a number of men being driven at speed.
They followed the car and after a short pursuit pulled over the driver and his passengers. While the passengers fled on foot as the car stopped the driver remained in the vehicle.
A search of the car uncovered the five guns; a revolver and four shotguns. The incident occurred just before 10pm on Tuesday as gardaí were patrolling the west of the city on St Patrick’s Day.
“At approximately 9.50pm, while on routine mobile patrol, gardaí observed a vehicle driving at speed in the Tallaght area,” a Garda statement said.
“Following a short pursuit, the offending vehicle stopped at Ardmore Gardens, Tallaght. The driver remained in the vehicle while the front and rear occupants made their escape on foot.
“The vehicle was subsequently searched and four shotguns and a revolver with ammunition were seized.” While the guns were undergoing ballistic testing, initial investigations have discovered three of the shotguns were previously reported stolen during a robbery.
The driver of the car, a Dubliner in his 40s, was arrested and taken to Tallaght Garda station for questioning on suspicion of possession of firearms.
He was being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows for his detention for up to 72 hours.
A search was underway for the men who ran from rear and front passenger seats of the arrested man’s car.
Last week Garda Commissioner Drew Harris unveiled a special policing operation for the duration of the Covid-1919 crisis, with 12-hour shifts introduced and Garda leave limited to five per cent of personnel from an Garda division or specialised unit.
However, Mr Harris insisted that special operation would not undermine the investigation of serious crime, including targeting armed criminals and drugs gangs.
More to follow.
