A MAN has been charged with a firearm offence as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs and firearms in Ireland and Britain.
Thomas Kavanagh, 51, with an address in Tamworth, was detained as he arrived at Birmingham Airport on Saturday.
He was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to import and supply drugs, firearms and ammunition, as well as money laundering.
Kavanagh was quizzed at a police station in Staffordshire and has since been charged with possession of a Section 5 firearm.
National Crime Agency officers, supported by colleagues from An Garda Síochána and Staffordshire Police, conducted a number of searches following the arrest.
They recovered a combination torch and stun gun, which is illegal to own and possess in Britain.
Kavanagh has been remanded in custody overnight and will appear at North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 14.
A 20-year-old man, who was arrested alongside Kavanagh at Birmingham Airport, has been released under investigation.
A third man, aged 19, was also arrested and released under investigation.
