Man smuggled military-grade weapons for sale to 'Ireland's top criminals', court hears

Detective inspector tells court the man supplied pipe bombs and assault rifles to criminal gangs in Armagh, Derry, Dublin, and Limerick

Conor O'Brien, aged 29, from Kilpatrick, Ardee, Co Louth arriving at court today, Monday. Detective Inspector Shane McCartan told the Special Criminal Court: 'Without Conor O’Brien, there would be no criminal organisation, such was his importance.' 

A Louth man who was part of a criminal organisation that imported military-grade firearms from America was selling them to “Ireland’s top criminals”, with pipe bombs and assault rifles that “can drop a deer at 900 yards” among the weapons being smuggled into the State.

“Without Conor O’Brien, there would be no criminal organisation, such was his importance,” said Detective Inspector Shane McCartan, telling the Special Criminal Court on Monday that Mr O’Brien and his co-accused, Mark McCourt, were distributing guns and ammunition to criminal gangs in Derry, Armagh, Dublin, and Limerick.