A Dublin man who was in Garda custody last night is expected to be one of the first people in the State to face firearms charges under the stricter mandatory sentencing regime which began at the start of the month.
The 38-year-old was arrested after a search of a house in west Dublin uncovered three firearms, the components of a fourth gun and ammunition.
The seizure is the first weapons haul linked to gangland crime to be discovered since the introduction of the harsher penalties. Gardaí are investigating the possibility he was storing the weapons on behalf of criminal associates.
He was being detained last night at Clondalkin Garda station and can be held for 72 hours without charge. Gardaí from Clondalkin and Ballyfermot stations began searching a house on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, at about 8pm on Thursday.
Shortly after the search began gardaí found two sawn-off shotguns. An air pistol and components of an automatic pistol were also found along with a ammunition.
Gardaí sealed off the house overnight and searches at the property continued throughout yesterday. The man being held was arrested at the property just before 10pm on Thursday.
His arrest was part of an ongoing operation into the activities of armed criminals in the west of the city. The search took place under Operation Anvil, which was established 18 months ago to tackle armed organised crime gangs in Dublin and has since been extended nationwide.
The suspect is expected to appear before the courts as early as this morning to face charges. If he is charged he will be one of the first to be eligible for sentencing under the new mandatory sentencing regime.
That system was introduced from November 1st following the completion of the two-month firearms and offensive weapons amnesty.
Under the new provisions, contained in the Criminal Justice Act 2006, mandatory periods of imprisonment of between five and 10 years now apply to a number of offences.
These include possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances, with criminal intent, with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, while hijacking a vehicle, and use or production of a firearm to resist arrest.
Meanwhile, it has now emerged that considerably more weapons were surrendered during the amnesty than had previously been believed. Initial estimates after the completion of operation put the overall haul at about 700.
However, the final set of figures obtained by The Irish Times reveals some 1,002 weapons were handed in. These included 822 firearms, 107 knives and 41 swords. Among the firearms were 217 shotguns, 124 rifles, 157 pistols, revolvers and handguns and 197 air guns. Also surrendered were 28 replica firearms, four crossbows, 41 swords, a theatre pistol and more than 2,000 rounds of assorted ammunition.