Three young men appear in court after seizure of guns and ammunition

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Three Co Wicklow men have appeared in court as part of an investigation into suspected gun trafficking.

Evan Fitzgerald (21), of Patrician, Kiltegan; Daniel Quinn Burke (19), of Allendale Lawn, Baltinglass; and Shane Kinsella (20), of Tynock, Kiltegan, all Co Wicklow, appeared before Naas District Court on Monday.

They were charged with firearm possession offences relating to the seizure of a Heckler & Koch G3 automatic rifle and a M1911A1 semi-automatic pistol.

A G3 rifle which was discovered along with a M1911 handgun and 40 rounds of ammunition in a vehicle in Co Kildare. Photo: Garda

They were also charged with possession in relation to the seizure of 22 rounds of .45 ACP calibre ammunition and 20 rounds of .30 Winchester calibre ammunition.

Detective Garda Gavin Curran told the court that the guns were seized following an intelligence-led operation into alleged firearms trafficking.

Gardaí, including from the emergency response unit, conducted a controlled stop on a vehicle and seized the firearms and ammunition.

As part of their bail conditions under a surety of €1,000 paid by their parents, the three men were ordered to stay out of contact with each other, to sign on daily at a named Garda station, surrender their passports and abide by a curfew between midnight and 6am.

Additionally, Mr Fitzgerald was ordered to stay off social media and not engage in illegal activity online.