Conor O’Brien jailed for 10 years over gun smuggling operation

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Conor O’Brien was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court on 16 March 2026 to 11 years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended for one year. The sentence leaves 10 years to be served in custody. The court also ordered the firearms and ammunition forfeited and destroyed.

O’Brien pleaded guilty to six charges. One concerned participation in or contribution to a criminal organisation’s activities to facilitate the importation of firearms, ammunition and explosives between 10 February 2023 and 19 July 2024.

The other five charges concerned possession or control of firearms or ammunition in suspicious circumstances at John Street, Blackstick, Ardee, on 19 July 2024. They related to two .233 Remington calibre AR-15 rifle barrels; four .233 Remington calibre Anderson AM-15 rifle barrels; eight Sig Sauer pistol frames; one Canik pistol frame; and four slides for a Sig Sauer P320 pistol.

Detective Inspector Shane McCartan said O’Brien was essential to the organisation. Messages recovered from O’Brien’s phones included references to a “suitcase full of Glocks” and selling weapons to “Ireland’s top criminals”. When arrested, O’Brien told gardaí he was in fear and would be “battered up and down” if he did not go to the US to get the guns.

Judge Karen O’Connor set a headline sentence of 15 years and reduced it after considering mitigating factors, including the guilty plea. She said O’Brien had played a crucial role in providing arms and ammunition, but did not have the same involvement as Mark McCourt, who directed the organisation.

Further submissions were due the following week about cash seized during the investigation. O’Brien’s counsel opposed its forfeiture, saying money laundering charges against him were no longer being pursued. McCourt had previously been jailed for 12 years for his involvement in the operation.