Replica gun near Hutch jail wing

Prison and Garda authorities are investigating a security incident at the weekend when a replica firearm was discovered in the grounds of a Dublin jail.

The imitation handgun, which, on examination turned out to be a pellet gun, was recovered inside the perimeter of Wheatfield Prison at around 2pm on Saturday.

Prison authorities and gardaí are investigating if it was an attempt to supply the replica gun to the Hutch organised crime group.

Incarcerated members of the Hutch gang and their associates are housed together in a secure section of the west Dublin jail.

They are under serious threat from the Kinahan cartel, jailed members of which are mainly housed in Mountjoy Prison.

Prison sources believe the weapon was catapulted over the prison wall towards the Number 1 yard, which is used by the Hutch group.

The gun is thought to have hit against the fencing surrounding the yard and landed back in the vacant strip that runs around the prison, between the buildings and the perimeter wall.

Members of the prison’s Operational Support Unit discovered the weapon, which was broken into pieces from the fall.

“A replica gun was found in the grounds of Wheatfield at around 2pm on Saturday,” said one prison source. “They are not real guns, but can look real enough.

“It was found near where the Hutches are kept.”

Another source confirmed this, pointing out that the exercise area used by the Hutch group, Number 1 yard, is beside where the weapon was recovered.

The yard is protected by fencing and a net that runs over it.

Prison sources are not sure how the weapon would have been recovered if it had landed on the net.

It is also possible that the plan was to recover the weapon from the grounds. Prisoners are often sent out to clean up the grounds, particularly where there are lawns or green areas.

A governor from the operations section of Prison Service HQ travelled to Wheatfield on Saturday in response to the incident.

In a statement, the Prison Service said: “We can confirm that a broken imitation firearm was found in the grounds of Wheatfield Prison over the weekend. Gardaí were notified immediately.”

Gardaí confirmed a pellet gun was recovered and an investigation was under way.

While the power of the pellet gun seized is not known, high-powered variations could potentially cause significant injury if the pellet strikes an eye or soft part of the head.

The incident follows separate security incidents involving prisoners over a four-day period.

Last Wednesday, two prison officers were slashed by an inmate wielding a makeshift blade at Mountjoy Jail. Later, a prisoner assaulted at least one officer during a court sitting at Cloverhill courthouse.