Stag party gardaí trio quizzed on weapons find

Three gardaí questioned after stun guns, CS gas and telescopic batons were found in the hold of a plane were returning from a stag party, officers said today.

The gardaí – all in their 20s and working in the Dublin area – were among six men travelling back to the capital from the celebration in Berlin.

While in Germany they bought the items and some pepper spray at an army surplus store.

Some of the items were seized at Berlin airport but the rest were put into the hold of the plane.

The men were questioned when they stopped off at Stansted Airport and the remaining weapons were confiscated.

Superintendent John Farrelly said the incident was not “sinister“.

“At this stage we are satisfied from our preliminary inquiries that there was no criminal intent on behalf of the party,” he said.

“These items were openly for sale in Berlin and perhaps it may have been an oversight on their part in relation to their ability to bring them home.”

A senior officer has been appointed to investigate the incident.

Mr Farrelly would not speculate on what action would be taken by the Garda Commissioner.

“It would be wrong to anticipate the reasoning behind this, to speculate in relation to the outcome of it because we have to deal with the procedures,” he added.

“But it is an issue that we take quite seriously and of course the investigation will determine that.”

He said three other men questioned were civilians.

Essex Police confirmed the weapons were found at Stansted Airport in the hold of a flight from Berlin.

A spokesman said: “Six men volunteered themselves to speak to the police. Two of them offered explanations about the items. The passengers then continued to Dublin.”