A Garda operation targeting organised crime gangs resulted in the seizure of 11 military grade firearms and multiple arrests in the past week.
A further €700,000 worth of heroin, cocaine and cannabis was found during the operation, which was led by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) in conjunction with the Emergency Response Unit, Dublin Crime Response Team and local drugs teams.
The weapons, which included three machine guns, were found in separate seizures in Co Laois and Co Kildare alongside silencers, long-range telescopic rifle sights and a large quantity of ammunition.
The seized weapons include several Glock family pistols, Skorpion-style submachine guns and other handguns. The Garda described them as “military grade firearms”.
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Two men in their 40s were arrested in connection with the seizures, and are detained at stations in the Midlands on firearms-related charges. The seized weapons and drugs are set to be analysed.
Angela Willis, the Garda assistant commissioner with responsibility for organised and serious crime, said the seizure is a “significant disruption” to organised crime.
“The recovery of military grade firearms, handguns and substantial quantities of illicit drugs has removed highly dangerous weapons and harmful substances from circulation, reducing the threat posed to the public and preventing significant criminal profits from being generated,” she said.
She said the co-ordination, internationally and across Europe, aided in the seizure, and that information sharing among law enforcement agencies is “essential” due to the prevalence of transnational organised crime gangs.
In the past week, An Garda Síochána has arrested 11 people for organised crime, firearms and drugs offences.
The arrests came as a result of searches under Operation Tara, the national Garda anti-drugs strategy launched in 2021 to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking and supply networks.
“Over €9 million worth of controlled drugs including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, has been seized along with cannabis oil-infused vapes and jellies aimed at our young people,” Willis said.
The seizures were made at Dublin Port, where a container with 23kg of cocaine was discovered after arriving from South America, with further raids and searches in Co Cork, west Dublin and the midlands.
