Woman held after Russian mortar launcher seized at Dublin Port

A woman was arrested after attempting to bring a decommissioned Russian mortar launcher through Dublin Port on Thursday.

Revenue and customs officers discovered the weapon while carrying out a routine search of incoming traffic through the port at 1am.

A van with an Eastern European registration was stopped for an inspection, at which point officers found a mortar launcher inside the vehicle.

The Army bomb disposal unit was called to the scene, and following an inspection deemed the decommissioned mortar launcher to be safe. There was no ammunition accompanying the launcher.

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Gardaí from the special detective unit and local stations attended also the scene.

The weapon, a Russian manufactured 82mm KRH 36Y mortar launcher, was seized for further inspection by the ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau.

A Garda spokesman confirmed the driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 20s, was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.

She was questioned at Store Street Garda station before being released on Thursday evening. Gardaí said enquiries were ongoing.

At present gardaí are satisfied there was “no criminal intent” in importing the launcher, the spokesman said. The device appeared to have been intended for a private collection in Northern Ireland.

Gardaí are in contact with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in order to confirm this.

"An Garda Síochána continues to investigate the importation of this firearm into this jurisdiction," the spokesman said.