Galway man jailed for possession of explosives

A Galway man has been jailed for five years at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today for possessing explosives and a gun.

Thomas Hughes (aged 40), of An Tuairin, Dublin Road, Tuam, pleaded guilty to the possession of a 6mm Flobert calibre Alfa Proj model revolver without a relevant firearms certificate at his home on January 26 last.

The father-of-three also admitted the unlawful possession of an explosive substance - ammonium nitrate – at One Hundred Acres, Monivea, Athenry, on the same date.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, said this was a tragic case as the accused was an otherwise “blameless” hardworking man who had pleaded guilty to a very serious offence.

He said that although Hughes was involved in the movement of 125kg of explosive substances the court noted evidence that his offending was “entirely out of character”.

Mr Justice Butler said that having considered all matters the court found the appropriate sentence to be one of five years for the possession of explosives, with a concurrent two year term to be served for the possession of a firearm without a certificate.

Detective Inspector Gerard Roche agreed with Mr Paul Greene SC, for the State, that Hughes was arrested early in the New Year following a garda investigation into the manufacture and movement of explosives by republican dissidents in Galway.

He said that on January 26, 2011 gardaí searched an outbuilding at a house in Monivea, Athenry and discovered 125kgs of a manufactured substance containing ammonium nitrate concealed there, while a subsequent search of Hughes’s home revealed a firearm and ammunition.

Det Insp Roche said that the ammonium nitrate was part of an industrial blasting agent called Ammogex, which has been manufactured legitimately by a company based in Co Meath since 1967.

He said that approximately 13,000kgs of Ammogex had been distributed legally to the West of Ireland since that date.

Det Insp Roche said that Hughes arrived voluntarily at Tuam garda station where he was interviewed 11 times over the course of three days, telling gardaí that he had purchased the revolver from an unnamed foreign national for €700.

He agreed that a witness gave a statement to gardaí outlining how she saw Hughes and another man transport what she thought were “sacks of potatoes” in to the outbuildings at the house in Monivea just two days before detectives searched the premises and that gardaí concluded this was in fact the ammonium nitrate found.

Det Insp Roche said that gardaí believed Hughes’ role in relation to the explosives was to move the material to a safe house.

Mr Patrick Gageby SC, for Hughes, said that his client was a hard working father-of-three who had pleaded guilty to the offences and had no relevant previous convictions.

He said that Hughes had “no intention” of committing any further offences upon his release from custody and reminded the court it had the benefit of witnesses who testified that the offence was out of character for the defendant.