Gardaí uncovered more than €770,000 worth of cannabis and assault rifles used by the US army and special forces in a shed in north Co Dublin, a court heard.
Andrew McNaughton (51) was arrested following a search by the Dublin Crime Response Team of a van locked in a shed at his residence in Jordanstown, Oldtown, on Tuesday.
The unemployed single man was denied bail when he appeared before Judge Patricia Cronin at Dublin District Court on Thursday.
He has been charged with unlawful possession of cannabis and with having the drug for sale or supply. The judge held that based on the strength of the evidence he would not attend his trial.
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Garda Brian O’Carroll told a contested bail hearing that officers entered the property on a search warrant.
They found and seized 38.5 kilogrammes of cannabis herb valued at about €772,000 and 70 grammes of suspected cocaine valued at €4,900.
The court heard gardaí discovered an AR-15, branded Colt M16A1, assault rifle with magazine containing 22 rounds; a Heckler & Koch 416 assault rifle with a magazine containing 15 rounds of ammunition; and a further 98 rounds of ammunition.
The court heard the drugs and guns were in a Nissan Primastar van parked in a locked shed on the property.
Gda O’Carroll said the AR-15 Colt M16 was standard issue for American military forces and said the Heckler & Koch gun was used by special forces worldwide, including Ireland’s Army Ranger Wing.
The garda told the court the man was an essential cog in an organised crime group.
The officer said the man’s shed was being used to store the illicit drugs and he was allegedly charging rent to a co-accused for €1,250 a month.
Cross-examined by Paddy Flynn, defending, Gda O’Carroll agreed the accused had not been charged in connection with the guns, but added: “Not at this juncture.”
The officer said Mr McNaughton facilitated the movement, storage and transportation of the weapons.
Gda O’Carroll accepted the man had assisted gardaí by opening up the locked shed, but he said he believed Mr McNaughton had played an integral part “rather than just a facilitator, rather than just a patsy”.
Mr Flynn said Mr McNaughton lived all his life in Ireland, said his father and brother were deceased and said he could live with his mother, who resides at a different address.
The barrister said his client, who had no prior convictions, was entitled to the presumption of innocence and said Mr McNaughton faced a lengthy wait in custody, with dates in the Circuit Court now being set for 2027.
In garda interview, Mr McNaughton said he did not know about the weapons, which he reiterated when he gave evidence at the bail hearing.
He said he would abide by any conditions set down by the court.
Mr McNaughton said he had been out of work for just over a year due to a back injury, but did not claim social welfare and said his only income came from the rent of his van.
“I have no intention of absconding,” he told Judge Cronin.
Legal aid was granted, and Mr McNaughton was remanded in custody to appear again in court at a later date for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A second man, in his 30s, arrested during the operation, remains in Garda custody.
