Gardai recover Pistol and Ammunition in Clondalkin
UPDATE: Both men have now been charged. They are due to appear before Blanchardstown District Court this morning, Friday, December 20.
AN ARREST in Clondalkin on Tuesday night led to a major security operation and what gardai believe was the prevention of an “imminent threat to life.”
A vehicle was intercepted by a tactical team from the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) on Rowlagh Avenue in Clondalkin, shortly after 8pm on Tuesday evening, December 17.
A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a semi-automatic Glock pistol along with a number of rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Two males, aged in their 30s and 40s, were arrested at the scene pursuant to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act and are currently detained at a garda station in the DMR under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Follow-up searches were conducted at 18 locations in the Dublin area and two cells at Portlaoise Prison. Over 300 gardai were deployed in the course of the operation.
Gardai from the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), units attached to the Garda National Crime & Security Intelligence Service (GNCSIS) and regular unit members from the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) conducted the operation as part of an intelligence-led investigation in the DMR.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, head of Organised & Serious Crime said: “The intervention by members of An Garda Síochána in West Dublin on the evening of 17th December 2024 has again resulted in the removal of a lethal firearm and ammunition from circulation.
‘An Garda Síochána believes the firearm was intended for use in the commission of murder(s).
‘I wish to acknowledge the members of An Garda Síochána involved in the operation for their professionalism in bringing this operation to a successful conclusion.
‘An Garda Síochána will continue to prioritise targeting those that are the most violent and cause the most harm in communities”
The firearm and ammunition seized will be forwarded to the Ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau to undergo analysis.
