Garda-held decommissioned weapons used to catch people trying to import firearms
Gardaí have carried out at least two controlled deliveries of firearms since 2007, in which they used Garda-held decommissioned weapons to catch people trying to import firearms, Garda figures show.
In response to queries from the Irish Examiner, Garda HQ detailed two court cases where gardaí substituted illegal firearms with Garda-held weapons that were made safe, in controlled deliveries to suspects who were subsequently convicted of buying weapons.
Garda HQ also said the decision to prosecute Evan Fitzgerald with serious firearms offences after a controlled delivery was made following an 'independent evaluation' by the DPP of all the evidence.
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly and Senator Michael McDowell, former justice minister and attorney general, have expressed grave concerns at the controlled delivery in the case of Mr Fitzgerald and two co-accused and questioned the arrest and prosecution of a "vulnerable" man.
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly expressed grave concern at the controlled delivery in the case of Evan Fitzgerald and two co-accused. Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins
While on bail, the 22-year-old carried out a public suicide at a Carlow shopping centre on June 1 using a firearm he had stolen.
He had caused panic among shoppers, including children, when he fired his shotgun into the air.
Gardaí believe he had no intention to harm anyone, but said that firing a loaded gun in public, and having flammable liquid in a bottle which he was trying to light, posed inherent dangers to other people, even if inadvertent or accidental.
Mr Kelly alleged that there was a 'domino impact' from the controlled delivery in Mr Fitzgerald taking his own life, while Mr McDowell claimed this outcome could have been avoided if 'diversion rather than entrapment and prosecution' was employed by gardaí against people he described as three 'naive young men'.
One of the two other men has pleaded guilty to charges while the third person has yet to enter a plea.
In its statement, Garda HQ detailed two firearms and three drug trafficking court cases where controlled deliveries were used by gardaí.
Senator Michael McDowell claimed the outcome could have been avoided if 'diversion rather than entrapment and prosecution' was employed by gardaí against people he described as three 'naive young men'. Picture: Sam Boal
It said gardaí were not making direct comparisons between the two firearms cases and Mr Fitzgerald and his co-accused.
In the two previous cases, the suspects were involved in drug dealing or serious organised crime, whereas gardaí have told the court that Mr Fitzgerald and the co-accused were not involved in organised crime and that the guns were intended for target shooting in the woods.
Gardaí told the courts that Mr Fitzgerald had a 'fascination' with firearms.
The Garda statement said controlled deliveries are recognised as legitimate operational techniques by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and that Irish courts had accepted their use in at least two convictions.
The two cases are:
May 12, 2016 — undercover gardaí took the place of a firearms supplier after intelligence showed that Ahmad Ayadi, from Rathfarnham, Dublin, was trying to source firearms illegally. The officers obtained a firearm, that had been made safe, from Garda Ballistics, which Ayadi bought. He pleaded guilty on July 31, 2017;
April 20, 2007 — two men were arrested in possession of firearms at the IBIS Hotel at Glanmire, Cork, after a controlled delivery of rocket launchers and weapons, supplied by Garda Ballistics after being made safe, by undercover officers. They pleaded guilty in 2008.
The statement said it was up to a coroner to 'independently' determine the circumstances that led to Mr Fitzgerald's death and cited suicide guidelines from the Samaritans that speculation on causes can 'oversimply' an extremely complex issue.
On Tuesday, Europol, the EU police agency, raised concerns at a growing trend of young men, including juveniles, who have 'personal struggles' or mental health issues and a 'fascination for weapons and explosives'.
Read More
The events leading to Evan Fitzgerald's death deserve proper scrutiny
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
38 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Civil Service and ministerial pensions error was known about since 2017
Officials first became aware of an error which could lead to Ministers and civil servants owing thousands of euro to the State in 2017, eight years before it became public. The 'serious and systemic' issues at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) may also lead to some Ministers being owed thousands of euro. Sums that will need to be recouped by the State range from hundreds of euro to just over €30,000. They were first disclosed to the public by Minister for Public Expenditure and Public Service Reform Jack Chambers earlier this month. Aside from the implications for ministerial pensions, a pool of up to 13,000 civil servants may be affected by the matter and are having their pension deductions checked. However, Mr Chambers told the Oireachtas finance committee on Wednesday that the issue stemmed from a pension appeal decision that was issued in 2017 when an individual questioned their own pension entitlement. READ MORE There is also an issue in relation to the pensions of 30 retired senior civil servants and one of them could owe as much as €280,000 But it was years before the shared payroll office explored the wider implications of the decision, Mr Chambers told Labour Party finance spokesman Ged Nash. 'It took the NSSO until July of 2024 to query if the approach following the appeal in 2017 should apply to a broader group,' Mr Chambers told the committee. Following that, there was interaction between the NSSO and the Department of Public Expenditure last year on the application of the allowances, he said. That concluded earlier this year. 'Indeed, the gap between that period is of concern,' he said. 'That's why we need an external audit.' There is also an issue in relation to the pensions of 30 retired senior civil servants and one of them could owe as much as €280,000 as a result of the NSSO errors. Mr Chambers said he became aware of the issue at the end of April, and it was further scoped in his department in May. He said draft terms of reference for an external audit of the issue were received this week and an appointment of an external auditor would follow in the coming weeks. The Minister said that the expectation of the pool of 13,000 potentially-affected civil servants, who were on work-share arrangements, is expected to be smaller once the audit is completed. Mr Chambers said it was important that there be accountability around the issues which have come to light. He told the committee the audit would take a number of months. 'It is important as part of the broader accountability oversight but also transparency around what other issues could be identified,' he said. 'It's really important for that to happen quickly, and that will be the breadth of the terms of reference which we will establish.' Mr Nash told The Irish Times it was important the NSSO and those involved in the review be given space to properly identify the extent of the issue. 'However, it does need to be done as expeditiously as possible and we need to understand how and why this issue had become a wider, more systemic problem for the system, and to apply the lessons from this experience,' the Louth TD said. 'It is also important that retired civil and public servants who may be caught up in this, through no fault of their own, are informed as soon as possible about the situation that applies to them, and that ways are identified for these matters to be put to bed in a way that is reasonable and fair to everyone.' It is believed most current Government Ministers and Ministers of State will owe money to the State due to errors in their pension deductions. Some may be due some money back.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Frank Coughlan: Climate change good intentions are often a load of hot air
The planet may be burning, the seas rising and the bumblebee not feeling the buzz any more, but the good news is that the Irish public are on the case. In word, at least, if not deed.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Timing is crucial as parties consider candidates for next president
The Latin phrase translates as 'make haste slowly' and appears at first glance to be a contradiction in terms or an oxymoron. A truer translation is 'balance speed with caution', a warning that rash decisions can have long-term detrimental consequences. Down the centuries, the maxim was adopted by many leaders, and it featured in the works of painters and writers who helped sustain it in history. The aphorism has now been very definitely adopted by many seasoned Irish politicians in their hyper-cautious approach to the upcoming presidential election campaign in October. A widely-admitted belief that President Michael D Higgins will be a very hard act to follow is compounded by very bad experiences during personalised campaigns in the two previous elections of 2011 and 2018. Thus far, the pre-campaign has been characterised more by people ruling themselves out than by promulgating their candidature. At this point, just two people – the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and Donegal-based businessman Peter Casey – have made clearly positive noises about standing (Mr Casey surprised many by coming second last time out with a remarkable 23pc of the total poll). The wisdom of prioritising caution over speed is hard to argue with One assumes that, behind the scenes, the more seasoned and mainstream politicians and their party organisers are giving the election considerable thought. Surely some quiet preparations are being planned. Fine Gael appears best fixed for a prompt campaign take-off later this summer. Two strong candidates – former GAA president and MEP Seán Kelly and former EU commissioner Mairead McGuinness – are quietly cited by the party. Fine Gael has never won the office since it was created in 1937. Either potential candidate would be a strong contender for addressing that lack. The identity of a Fianna Fáil potential runner is less clear, though former ministers Éamon Ó Cúiv and Mary Hanafin have not ruled themselves out. Party soundings also suggest that adopting an external candidate, as FF did when it endorsed Mary McAleese in 1997, remains a possibility. Sinn Féin has to decide whether to throw its lot in with a common candidate backed by left-leaning parties or go it alone as it did to very mixed results in 2011 and 2018. The prospect of a united leftist candidate cannot be ruled out, and it will be recalled that this did succeed admirably in 1990 when president Mary Robinson upset the apparently heavier hitters. On balance, the wisdom of prioritising caution over speed is hard to argue with. The nasty 2011 campaign effectively ran from the May holiday weekend to Halloween, with longevity creating many practical problems. But to Caesar Augustus's aphorism there is a counter, which reminds us that 'he or she who hesitates is lost'. In politics, timing is crucial.
