Guns and ammo seized by police

Guns and ammo seized by police

20 November 2019

A CACHE of 24 illegal guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized at a house on the Ards Peninsula in a joint PSNI and National Crime Agency operation last Friday.

A 61 year-old man who lived at the property at Ardkeen, near Portaferry, was arrested but later released.  The man is a registered firearms holder.

The weapons were linked to an earlier discovery of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and two handguns by Border Force officers at an international parcel hub in the Midlands of England. 

NCA Branch Commander David Cunningham said: “This operation is an excellent example of the co—operation between the NCA, PSNI and our Border Force colleagues. Together we have identified and recovered a significant quantity of illegal firearms and ammunition that could have been used to commit serious violence or other criminality.”

Police say there is no suggestion of any paramilitary links in the investigation. 

Strangford MP Jim Shannon welcomed the weapons discovery.

He said: “It’s vital that illegal weapons are kept out of the hands of any person who has other motivation in their mind.

The access to illegal weapons is very worrying and that they could be shipped from over-seas — possibly USA or other destinations.”

Strangford MLA Peter Weir also commended the joint task force.

He added: “The scale of the weapons haul found is extremely alarming, all right thinking people will welcome the removal of these dangerous weapons and ammunition from our streets. Northern Ireland knows only too well the destruction that illegal weaponry can bring.”