THE DISCOVERY of two grenades and a handgun in west Dublin is linked to a feud between rival gangs in the city which has claimed 10 lives, Garda sources have said.
The grenades and the Glock firearm were found by members of the Garda's Organised Crime Unit when they stopped a car in Walkinstown, Dublin, just after 9pm on Tuesday.
The car was being driven by a 44-year-old man from the Crumlin area. He has been known to gardaí for many years. The gardaí found the grenades and revolver concealed in the man's trousers.
The suspect and a 45-year-old woman who was also in the car were arrested at the scene. They were taken to Crumlin and Terenure Garda stations and were questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. The pair were still being detained last night.
Gardaí are confident they will be able to bring criminal charges against the male suspect.
The grenades are being examined in an effort to establish their origins. Gardaí were also examining the gun to determine if it was used in any recent shootings.
Garda sources described the man's arrest as "significant". They believe he is aligned to one of two gangs who have been involved in a feud in the Crumlin and Drimnagh areas. Ten men have died as a result of the feuding over the past seven years. Eight of the victims were shot dead while two others were killed in spur-of-the-moment street attacks.
Gardaí believe the man under arrest last night is a close associate of the leader of one the rival gangs. The gang leader is currently in prison serving a sentence for firearms offences. Detectives believe the grenades and gun were being transported to other gang members for use against the rival faction.
Last week, gardaí arrested two men who were travelling in a car on O'Connell Street, Dublin. The men were under surveillance at the time and were believed to be on their way to carry out a gun attack also linked to the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud.
The man arrested on Tuesday night is a member of the same faction as the two men arrested last week on O'Connell Street.
The car in which the grenades and gun were found was stopped on Tuesday night at Walkinstown Road as part of Operation Anvil, which targets armed crime.
Members of the Organised Crime Unit increased patrols in the area following the discovery of two pipe bomb devices there last week. Detectives are still trying to establish if the pipe bomb incidents were part of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud.
The feuding began after one young drug dealer was blamed for supplying information to gardaí about the activities of one of his associates at the time. Since then the violence from both sides has escalated dramatically.
