Man due in Cork court after sawn-off shotgun seized

A man in his 30s is due to appear in court in Cork on Monday in connection with the discovery of a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition by gardaí during a search of a car near Blarney on Friday.

The man, from the Mayfield area, will appear at Cork District Court, where he will be charged with possession of the firearm and ammunition at Clogheenmilcon, Blarney on April 22nd last.

The man was arrested when gardaí stopped and searched a car as it was about to exit a slip road from Blarney back on to the main Cork-Mallow Road in the direction of Cork city.

The checkpoint was set up by gardaí from Gurranabraher and Anglesea Street as part of Operation Thor, where gardaí are targeting travelling criminal gangs carrying out burglaries in rural areas.

Woman driver

The man, who was a passenger in the car driven by a woman, was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and taken to Gurranabraher Garda station for questioning.

The woman, who is also in her 30s and from the Mayfield area, was also arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and taken to Mayfield Garda station for questioning.

The woman was held overnight and questioned throughout Saturday before she was released without charge at about 6.30pm on Saturday, and a file will be prepared on her for the DPP.

The shotgun and ammunition were removed for forensic and ballistic examination as gardaí seek to establish whether the weapon was stolen and if it had been used in the commission of any offences.

The car was removed to a secure area to allow Garda technical experts to carry out a forensic examination for fingerprint and other DNA evidence as part of their investigation of the crime.

Gardaí are still trying to establish whether the pair were on their way to commit a robbery or other crime with the gun or whether they were transporting it to a secure location for use at a later date.