Two men have been remanded in custody, charged with possessing firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances in Ballymun earlier this week.
David Savage, 34, of no fixed abode and 51-year-old Anthony Duff of Doon Court in Poppintree in Ballymun were arrested on Wednesday.
Gardaí from the Ballymun Drugs Unit assisted by Serious Crime West Units and other local units, had responded to reports relating to a man in possession of firearms in the Belclare area of Poppintree in Ballymun.
In the course of a follow-up operation David Savage and Anthony Duff were arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.
Garda Keith Crawley of Ballymun Garda Station told a sitting of Dublin District Court that four Grand Power 9mm fully automatic handguns were recovered in a white plastic bag at a property at Doon Court in Ballymun, alongside more than 40 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and that one of the guns had a round of ammunition in its chamber and was “ready to fire”.
Garda Crawley said that the handguns were sent to the Garda Ballistics Section and it confirmed that all four guns were “viable firearms”.
Garda Marie Ruddy of Ballymun Garda Station gave evidence of the circumstances of David Savage’s arrest, charge and caution on four counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances under Section 27 (a) of the Firearms Act 1964.
Garda Ruddy said that Mr Savage was charged at 7.21pm yesterday evening at Ballymun Garda Station and made no reply to the first three charges after caution, and after the fourth he queried the number of charges.
There were no solicitors present at the sitting in Dublin District Court amid an ongoing protest against a new legal aid scheme introduced earlier this year.
Mr Savage told the court that “there’s a solicitor’s strike” and while he wanted to apply for bail, he was “not in a position to apply” without a solicitor, and he was remanded in custody.
Judge Conor Fottrell granted Mr Savage free legal aid.
The court heard that Mr Duff was charged with four counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances at 6.47pm yesterday evening.
Garda Crawley said that after caution Mr Duff replied to the first charge “I have no firearms in my possession, I am innocent of all charges”.
He made similar replies in relation the remaining three charges.
Garda Crawley objected to Mr Duff’s application to bail.
Judge Fottrell asked Mr Duff if he was willing to proceed with a bail application without a solicitor and he responded, “yeah, I feel I am able to do that”, and he proceeded to represent himself and was also sworn in as a witness.
After hearing the evidence given, Judge Fottrell refused bail under Section 2 of the Bail Act 1997 and said that Mr Duff could choose to appeal that decision in the High Court.
He granted Mr Duff free legal aid and remanded him in custody.
Both men are due to appear in court again in person before Cloverhill District Court, which will be in sitting in the Criminal Courts of Justice building, next Friday, 11 September.