Loaded rocket launchers found in lock-up

Two loaded rocket launchers capable of blasting an armoured car were discovered in a lock-up today as detectives closed in on a criminal gang.

An AK-47 assault rifle and nine kilos of cocaine – with a street value of €630,000 – were also found in the warehouse off a main road near Clane, Co Kildare.

Armed gardaí from the Organised Crime Unit uncovered the cache of lethal weapons after the arrest of four men over an earlier drugs bust.

Detectives believe the haul, one of the most lethal linked to gangland crime, was being held by a south Dublin gang. The rocket launchers were ready to be fired.

A security source said the military-style short range weapons, known as RPGs and fired from the shoulder, would have been imported from Eastern Europe.

“These could take out an armoured car,” he said. “There is great concern they are on the streets in Ireland.”

It is believed the weapons were hidden in green oil drums inside the lock-up. They have now been made safe and removed.

The four men being questioned were alleged to be members of a south Dublin drugs gang involved in the bloody Crumlin/Drimnagh feud which has resulted in more than a dozen gun murders.

Their notorious gangland boss is believed to hiding out in Spain after several threats were made to his life.

“We didn’t get him unfortunately, but it’s definitely his gang that was involved in this,” said a senior garda.

“They’ve been watched for quite some time. It wasn’t just a routine stop.”

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the work of those involved.

“The minister congratulates the gardaí on a great day’s work in uncovering the drugs and rocket launchers. It was great detective work,” said the minister’s spokesman.

The first two of the four men in custody were arrested when a car was stopped on the Naas Road yesterday and a kilo (2.2lb) of cocaine, worth €70,000, was found. Two more men were arrested in a follow-up search operation in the Rathcoole area.

All four are being questioned in Clondalkin Garda Station.

Officers then raided the rented lock-up in an industrial estate in Longtown, on the main Clane to Straffan road, where they discovered the arsenal of weapons.

The Defence Forces said a bomb disposal team arrived at the industrial estate at 11.20am and declared the scene safe just before 3pm.

“We made the area safe and removed them from the scene. They will be destroyed,” added a spokesman.