Two men from Merseyside today admitted being members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Roy Barwise (47) and John Irwin (43), both from Anfield, were part of the Liverpool Battalion of the UVF and senior members of the paramilitary group, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Both men, involved with Orange Lodges in Liverpool, pleaded guilty to membership of a proscribed organisation - the UVF.
They were arrested last July after police mounted raids following an assassination attempt on former UDA commander Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair, who is on the run following Loyalist infighting.
Explosives, a machine gun, pistols, shotguns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found in the raids on Merseyside. Both were to go on trial today, but they changed their plea to guilty.
Father-of-two Barwise also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of ammunition, possession of firearms and explosives and supplying ammunition.
Barwise and Irwin, who has one son and works as a builder, will be sentenced tomorrow.
PA