A Derry man, believed by police to be member of an organised crime gang operating in the city, is in custody awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty at the city’s Crown Court to a number of offences linked to the discovery of £20,000 worth of drugs and a haul of weapons and explosives, including guns and hand-grades, in a “safe house” used by the gang in the city almost two years ago.
The munitions, along with ecstasy and methodrone with an estimated street value of £20,000, were discovered during an intelligence-led search operation by the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch of a block of flats at Hawkin Street on 20 December, 2012,
Gary Pius McPhillips (30), of Hawkin Street, admitted the possession of an improvised 9mm sub machine gun, a .22 self-loading pistol, an 8mm blank firing pistol, loaded magazines, silencers, two viable hand-grenades and a CS canister.
A second man, Ryan O’Reilly (28), of Meadowbank Court, admitted having a blank firing pistol on an unknown date between 31 January 2005 and 21 December 2012.
The court was told the grenades were of Yugoslavian origin and similar to those used to murder two female police constables in Greater Manchester in 2012.
The court heard McPhillips was a member of a crime gang controlled by his brother Mark, who was jailed earlier this year for a number offences including having £800,000 worth of cannabis with intent to supply.
Prosecutor Frank Donohue told the court during a search of McPhillips’ flat on the fourth floor of the apartment block, police discovered nine ecstasy tablets.
Further searches of the building discovered 755 ecstasy tablets and 272 grammes of methadrone in a chest freezer located under a stairwell in the building.
The weapons were discovered during a search of the building’s roofspace.
The court was told all the weapons fired when tested.
The court was told that during police interviews, McPhillips admitted the drugs found his flat had been given to him for his own personal use in return for storing the drugs in the chest freezer.
He denied any knowledge of the weapons and explosives but later asked to be re-arraigned and changed his plea to guilty.
Mr Donohue told the court while there was “no terrorist involvement,” McPhillips was a “trusted member” of the criminal gang who was entrusted with storing the weaponry and had responsibility for “dividing up” the drugs.
The court heard McPhillips had a number of previous convictions, including having class A drugs with intent to supply in Derry in 2007 and drug trafficking in Belgium.
The court was told O’Reilly was linked to the blank firing pistol through DNA profile found on the weapon.
The court heard he admitted to police he may have handled the weapon “some time earlier” outside the jurisdiction.
Both accused were remanded in custody to be sentenced on 5 November next.
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