A Limerick man convicted of the possession of 149 rounds of ammunition has been jailed for three years at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.
Alan Ryan (34) of Tullovin Bridge, Croom, County Limerick, was arrested at Heuston Station, Dublin, in August 2005 and pleaded guilty to the offence last year.
Presiding at the three-judge court, Mr Justice Paul Butler said that Ryan's motive for carrying the ammunition had "nothing to do with subversive activity but was financial".
Previously, the court heard that Ryan owed money to criminals in Limerick after borrowing it to buy Christmas presents for his daughter and that he agreed to pick up a package in Dublin and bring it to Limerick because he was in fear of his life.
Detective Sergeant Paul O'Malley of the Special Detective Unit (SDU) told the court that gardaí monitored Ryan meeting two men in Jury's Inn Hotel at Christchurch, Dublin, on August 23rd, 2005, and followed him to Heuston Station where he was arrested as he prepared to travel back to Limerick with the ammunition that gardaí recovered from his jacket and belt.
Detective Sergeant O'Malley added that, at the time of the offence, gardaí were investigating Continuity IRA activities in Dublin and Limerick.
However, he agreed with Ryan's defence counsel that Ryan had "no affiliations with an unlawful organisation" and that his knowledge of what he was carrying was "reasonably limited".
Mr O'Malley also said that Ryan took "full responsibility" for the offence and was "fully co-operative" with gardaí.
He told the court that Ryan had a drug addiction problem and was seeking to address it.
The court had adjourned sentencing and remanded Ryan on bail on condition that he underwent monitoring for drug-taking.
Ryan has 18 previous convictions, including two for burglary and one for robbery.
Mr Justice Butler said that while the court did take into account the mitigating factors of Ryan's early plea and his co-operation with gardaí, it was a "very serious offence".
The lowest appropriate sentence was three years, the judge said.
Ryan's sentence is to run from November 15th last.