A GARDA was in custody in Dublin last night after being arrested by detectives investigating criminal activities.
The garda was being held in Lucan station after a sawn-off shotgun and an air pistol, along with some ammunition, were found at his home.
The garda, in his 30s, is married with three children and is based in a station in the south of the city. He has been suspended from the force while the investigation continues.
He was arrested at his house early yesterday morning and taken to Naas Garda station, before being transferred to Lucan Garda station where he is being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, which allows detention without charge for 48 hours.
He has been a garda for more than 10 years and has received an award for bravery. The commendation said he confronted armed criminals, one of whom had a sawn-off shotgun, and arrested one of them. He was commended for "exceptional courage" and risking his life in the course of his duty.
The garda was being questioned last night about "interaction with criminals" and the illegal weapon found at his house.
Detectives were keeping members of a major criminal gang under surveillance when the garda's links with them came to their attention.
The Garda would give no indication yesterday whether the arrested officer was suspected of passing information to criminals.
A team of detectives has been running a major criminal investigation for the past three months. The investigation has uncovered a large criminal network. More than 100 illegal weapons have been recovered, about 80 people have been arrested and questioned, and cash and illegal drugs worth more than £500,000 have been seized.
The garda now being held at Lucan faces the prospect of an internal investigation as well as criminal proceedings.