GARDAÍ YESTERDAY displayed a selection of high-calibre weapons, along with heroin and cannabis, which were seized earlier this week in an operation targeting gangland crime.
More than 20 weapons and drugs seized when gardaí stopped a car near Dublin airport on Tuesday were displayed for the media at Garda headquarters at the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The haul included four types of firearms.
Among them were four Glock 19C semi-automatic pistols converted to fire fully automatically, along with accessories such as magazines and speed-loaders. These submachine guns are capable of firing up to 1,000 rounds of ammunition a minute, detectives said. There were also 15 Glock 19 semi-automatic pistols, six Beretta 19 semi-automatic pistols with sound-suppressors, two Smith Wesson model 60 revolvers and 50 rounds of ammunition.
All were "military and police-spec weapons", detectives said. Gardaí could not indicate whether the guns were all new as they have not been ballistically tested. However, they said that all of them were "in very good condition and ready to be deployed". The weapons will all be sent for ballistics tests.
Along with the guns, gardaí displayed more than a dozen blocks of heroin and about eight bags of herbal cannabis.
