A 27-year-old man has been jailed for 11 years at the Circuit Criminal Court in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, for his part in an aggravated burglary during which a firearms dealer and his family were held at gun and knife point.
Robert Freeman, of 29 Deansrath Grove, Clondalkin, Dublin, is believed by gardaí to have been a leading member of the gang which stole 42 rifles, shotguns and handguns, some of which were later sold to one of the drugs gangs operating in Limerick.
The victims of the robbery were woken in the middle of the night in their home and told they would be shot if they did not cooperate with the thieves.
Mr Freeman pleaded guilty to four counts of false imprisonment and a charge of aggravated burglary.
Gardaí recovered around half of the guns stolen in the raid in a number of separate operations but the remainder were never traced.
