Issue Date: 5th December 2023
As part an EU-wide investigation targeting the illegal manufacturing of firearms, An Garda Síochána participated in a joint action day in October 2023.
This operational activity was coordinated by Europol and involved law enforcement authorities from Spain, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Members from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau carried out planned searches at two locations in Ireland in October 2023. A number of items were recovered and have been submitted for technical and ballistic analysis. No arrests have been made thus far and investigations are ongoing.
Following the EUROPOL announcement, Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland, the head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said, "An Garda Síochána is a committed partner to EUROPOL coordinated operational activities, particularly when targeting high value targets that facilitate violent organised crime networks. The removal of deadly illegal firearms from the reach of violent criminal organisations is a priority for law enforcement and the dismantling of 10 illegal firearms workshops, through international law enforcement collaboration, greatly assists in reducing the availability of lethal firearms to criminals, and assists in maintaining Ireland’s current low incidence of gun related violence”.
