Gardaí uncovered a gun and pipe-bomb factory when they became suspicious of a car in north Cork and noticed there were bullet holes in one of its doors.
Three off-duty detectives were returning to Mallow from a removal late on Tuesday night when they saw a car ahead of them weaving on the road.
The officers followed the car to a petrol station, where it pulled in. When they got out to speak to the man, they noticed two bullet holes in a door of the car.
The detectives searched the vehicle and found three handguns, a quantity of ammunition and cocaine and immediately arrested the 45-year-old driver for questioning.
READ MORE
The man was taken to Mallow Garda station, where he is detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, which allows gardaí to question suspects for up to 48 hours.
Gardaí were continuing to question the man on Thursday morning.
The man lives with his elderly parents in the Douglas area of Cork city, and gardaí immediately carried out a follow-up search of his family home, where they found a gun-making workshop.
Senior officers immediately declared the house a crime scene and arranged for the man’s parents to move into temporary accommodation elsewhere while they searched the house.
According to one source, they found up to 100 parts for various guns including pistols and rifles, and believe that the man, a gun enthusiast, was buying decommissioned guns from abroad.
They suspect he was using the various gun parts to build viable firearms capable of firing live ammunition.
They also found home-made pipe-bomb casings and fireworks, and requested the service of the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit to make the seized devices safe.
Gardaí also requested the assistance of the Garda Ballistics Unit, who travelled from Dublin to examine the firearms. They were continuing to examine them on Thursday morning
It is understood the man, who has three legally held firearms, was previously investigated by gardaí some 10 years ago after they discovered he had been importing guns from Europe. Officers confiscated two decommissioned pistols that the man had imported in 2015, but he avoided a criminal conviction and was instead given an adult caution.
