Arrests made after firearm seized in Mullingar

Muireann Duffy

Two men have been arrested after a firearm was seized in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

As part of ongoing investigations targeting organised criminal activity in the area, a plain clothes Garda patrol directed a car of interest to stop on Wednesday.

The car failed to stop for a period of time, and when the vehicle did stop, a male occupant fled the vehicle.

The man, aged in his 30s, was chased by gardaí and was subsequently arrested.

A bag which he has discarded during the chase was recovered and found to contain a firearm and ammunition which were seized.

A second occupant of the vehicle, a man aged in his 50s, was also arrested.

Both men were taken to a Garda station in Co Westmeath where they remain detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.

Follow-up searches at residential properties in the Mullingar area have since been conducted and a number of items of evidence have been seized.