Gardaí say they that a firearm recovered during a planned drugs search in Co Clare was used in an attack on the home of an innocent family earlier this month.
It’s also believed the same sub-machine gun was used in a similar incident in the county last November.
The weapon was found on Friday during a drugs search in the Kilmurry area of Sixmilebridge.
During the on-going operation targeting the sale of illegal drugs in the county, Gardaí discovered 1.5kgs of Cocaine with a street value of €105,000 and 1kg of Cannabis Herb worth €20,000.
They also recovered a sub-machine gun and ammunition which were seized and sent for analysis.
As part of the same operation, a car was stopped and searched at Tulla Road, Ennis and 0.5kg of Cocaine with a street value of €35,000. The driver of the car, a man in his 20s, was arrested and taken to Ennis Garda station. He was later released without charge while a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A Garda spokeswoman has said: “It’s believed the sub-machine gun seized was the one used when shots were fired at a house in Clarecastle on August 12th 2018 and on November 3rd 2017 at Clarehill, Clarecastle. Investigations are ongoing and Gardaí are making good progress.”
The latest incident happened at around 1.30am on Sunday August 12th at the house in St Joseph’s Terrace about three kilometres from Ennis. A woman was tidying up in the kitchen when she heard two bangs. Her partner was in bed at the time while their young son was sleeping in another room.
One bullet entered a front bedroom window narrowly missing the man. A second bullet struck a wall at the front of the house. No one was injured in the attack.
Gardaí are satisfied there was no reason the family should have been targeted while the couple said at the time they knew immediately it was the wrong house that was attacked.
Meanwhile, in a follow-up operation on Sunday, Gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drug Unit arrested a 22-year-old man and seized cannabis herb with an estimated street value of €21,000.
The man was later released without charge while a file will be prepared and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions in due course.
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