Ireland How a shotgun held at Kildare Garda Station ended up with criminals
A 12-gauge, sawn-off Winchester pump-action shotgun was seized from criminals in Mullingar in August 2023, and two men were later convicted in connection with that seizure; the men are not named in the reports. The gun had been seized by Gardaí during a planned drugs raid in Co Kildare in 2009, and was last recorded as held at Kildare Garda Station in September 2010, a disappearance that went undetected for around 13 years. An internal Garda investigation concluded in October 2024 that the firearm had probably been stolen but could not establish when, where or by whom, and a criminal investigation into how it left Garda control was launched. The latest development, reported on 11 September 2026, is an RTÉ Investigates programme on the case due to air on Wednesday 16 September at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.
- Reported
- Arrested
- Charged
- In court
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- A 12-gauge, sawn-off Winchester pump-action shotgun was seized from criminals in Mullingar in August 2023.
- When
- The shotgun was seized by Gardaí during a planned drugs raid in Co Kildare in 2009.
- Cause
- An Garda Síochána said the shotgun had been stolen in a 2004 burglary before Gardaí recovered it in 2009.
- Where
- The weapon was last recorded as held at Kildare Garda Station in September 2010.
- Investigation
- An internal Garda investigation found the disappearance of the weapon went undetected for around 13 years.
- The internal investigation concluded in October 2024 that the firearm had probably been stolen.
- The internal investigation could not establish when, where or by whom the firearm was stolen.
- A criminal investigation was launched into how the shotgun left Garda control and came into the possession of those charged.
- Other details
- Keys to a cupboard used to store guns were reportedly kept in a public-office press.
- An RTÉ Investigates programme on the case is due to air on Wednesday 16 September at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.
- In court
- Two men were convicted in connection with the 2023 seizure, and they are not named in the reports.
9 statements extracted from the articles
- whatA 12-gauge, sawn-off Winchester pump-action shotgun was seized from criminals in Mullingar in August 2023. (kildarenow.com)
- whereThe weapon was last recorded as held at Kildare Garda Station in September 2010. (kildarenow.com)
- whenThe shotgun was previously seized by Gardaí during a planned drugs raid in Co Kildare in 2009. (kildarenow.com)
- causeAn Garda Síochána said the shotgun had originally been stolen in a 2004 burglary before being recovered by Gardaí in 2009. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationAn internal investigation concluded in October 2024 that the firearm had probably been stolen. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationThe internal investigation could not establish when, where or by whom the firearm was stolen. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationA criminal investigation was launched into how the shotgun left Garda control and came into the possession of those charged. (kildarenow.com)
- courtTwo men were subsequently convicted in connection with the 2023 seizure. (kildarenow.com)
- otherKeys to a cupboard used to store guns were reportedly kept in a public-office press. (kildarenow.com)
The reporting
newest first- 11 Sep2026How did gun held in Kildare garda station end up with criminals?
Investigative feature on how a seized firearm left Garda control and reached criminals. It reports an internal Garda investigation, the findings on Garda firearms management, and that two men were convicted over the 2023 seizure. The men are not named.
convicted, maleconvicted, male