A man with no criminal record and no previously known links to organised crime has appeared before the courts in relation to one of the biggest weapons finds in the Republic in recent years.
A woman who was being questioned by gardaí in relation to the seizure of some of the weapons has been released. A file on her is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Both were arrested in a 48-hour Garda operation last week that began on Wednesday night when gardaí manning an Operation Anvil checkpoint stopped a car in the Curragh area just outside Naas, Co Kildare.
When gardaí searched the car they found two sawn-off shot guns, 14 shotgun cartridges, four balaclavas, pepper spray and cable ties. Night vision equipment was also found.
Gardaí arrested the driver of the vehicle, a Kildare man in his 30s, and took him for questioning to Naas Garda station. He appeared before Naas District Court at a special sitting on Saturday night, where he was charged with possession of the guns and ammunition.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in court next Tuesday. After his arrest gardaí carried out a follow-up search operation at a house in the Brownstown area of Naas.
They found two more sawn-off shotguns and three semi-automatic pistols, one of them loaded. Gardaí also found white powder which was at first believed to be cocaine. It will undergo testing today to determine if it is an illicit drug, as gardaí suspect.
During the search at Brownstown gardaí found a compressor that was being used to pack the white powder, as well as other drugs paraphernalia.
The man has taken responsibility for the items at the house in Brownstown and he is expected to face further charges in relation to those items.
Gardaí say the number of weapons seized indicates he is part of a wider organised crime gang but he has refused to name his criminal associates. He was wearing gloves at the time of his arrest and has been very unco-operative, Garda sources say.
The shotguns seized have been traced to robberies in Monaghan, Leitrim and Kildare.