A LIMERICK man found in possession of hundreds of rounds of ammunition has been jailed for three years at the Special Criminal Court.
John Costello (60) of Glenashrone, Abbeyfeale was charged with possession of 782 rounds of ammunition after his former partner tipped off Gardaí following a domestic dispute.
He admitted having 450 rounds of .38 special calibre ammunition; 329 rounds of 9mm calibre ammunition and three rounds of 9mm calibre ammunition at a flat he shared above the Coffee Pot, Abbeyfeale on February 21, 2016.
Imposing a three year prison sentence, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, said that the “amount of ammunition must be regarded as significant” despite it not being accompanied by a firearm.
Detective Garda Michael Herlihy told the three-judge non-jury court that Costello’s former partner phoned Gardaí to tell them he was storing the ammunition.
While he admitted having the ammunition, he didn’t reveal its origin or owners to Gardaí who were satisfied it was being stored “in the context of subversive IRA activity”.
