A detective garda has told the Morris tribunal how he and his colleagues were told "not to interfere" with alleged informant Ms Adrienne McGlinchey during the early 1990s.
Det garda Noel Jones said on September 7th, 1993, Ms McLaughlin told him an envelope had been left outside the McGlinchey flat by a stranger.
He took this envelope to the station, and found 30 shotgun cartridges, 36 .22 bullets, two yards of red electrical wiring, and two pieces of paper.
The detective examined the envelope, and since Supt O'Connor was in his office, he informed him.
The superintendent reminded him of the "hands off policy" regarding Ms McGlinchey.
Det garda Jones said he understood this to mean he was not to use her as a source of information, because another detective, Noel McMahon, was already handling her.
At a meeting the next day which also involved detectives Sreenan and Doherty, Supt O'Connor repeated the "hands off" instruction.
O'Connor was "a very nice man, a decent man, but an officious officer", Det garda Jones told the tribunal.
The detective returned the envelope to outside Ms McGlinchey's flat, and said he was later told the same cartridges had been recovered as "a part of a device" used in a bomb hoax in Strabane, Co Tyrone.
The tribunal is examining allegations by Ms McGlinchey that together with suspended Detgarda Noel McMahon and Supt Kevin Lennon she mixed explosives that were later used in bogus Garda finds of terrorist arms.
Both men have denied those claims, and Ms McGlinchey denies she was an informer. After getting his instructions from Supt O'Connor, Det garda Jones had little contact with Ms McLaughlin or Ms McGlinchey.
He was not aware of Ms McGlinchey's involvement with subsequent explosives finds in Donegal.
Ms McLaughlin had also told him that bags containing granulated substance with a strong smell were kept in the McGlinchey/Devine flat between August 23rd and September 3rd 1993, until in September men had come and removed the bags, Det garda Jones said.
He passed this information on to his superiors. Ms McGlinchey was also trying to get the lend of a coffee grinder or to purchase one, Ms McLaughlin told him. Her partner, Mr Bernard Logue, had a coffee grinder he had been trying to repair, the Det garda was told. He never saw this grinder, but understood it was being used to grind fertiliser.
Det garda Jones said he first approached Ms McLaughlin to supply information on Ms McGlinchey, who lived in the flat below, following an incident where gardaí entered the McLaughlin flat in 1993.