A Dublin man arrested during a Garda operation against dissident republicans has been jailed for possession of a rifle and assorted ammunition.
Glen Mallon (34), a father of two, of Bancroft Avenue, Tallaght pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to the unlawful possession of 238 rounds of assorted ammunition at the Tallaght bypass and the unlawful control of a .22 bolt action rifle at Hanbri House, Athy Road, Monasterevin, Co Kildare on September 3rd last year.
Detective Superintendent Diarmuid O' Sullivan , of the Special Detective Unit, told the court that gardaí carrying out a surveillance operation stopped Mallon in a van on the Tallaght bypass.
When the van was searched the ammunition was found in four ziplock freezer bags inside a woman's handbag.
Gardaí later searched a house at Monasterevin and found the bolt action rifle there along with other items relating to the activities of an illegal organisation.
Mallon initially was uncooperative with the gardaí but later took responsibility for possession of the firearm and ammunition, the court was told.
Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, presiding, said that taking into account Mallon's guilty plea and his cooperation with the gardaí the court sentenced him to four years and nine months for each offence to run concurrently.