Northern Ireland

Two men plead guilty to attempt to buy guns on the dark web

Two Co Antrim men have pleaded guilty to involvement in a plot to buy guns over the 'dark web', unaware they were dealing with undercover police.

Darren Bennett (23) of Church Road in Newtownabbey also admitted plotting to possess the Class A drugs, Cocaine and MDMA with intent to supply them to another.

Bennett and 42-year-old Thomas Morgan from Burnside Road, Doagh each pleaded guilty to separate charges of conspiring, with each other, in February last year, to provide the handguns and suitable ammunition.

The Glock 17 and Glock 19 handguns, earlier described in court as "lethal, funtioning weapons", were meant to enable another person to cause another to believe or fear that unlawful violence would be used against them.

A prosecution lawyer told Judge Desmond Marrinan that the pleas were acceptable and that they were offering no further evidence on the first two counts while other charges should 'remain on the books'.

Judge Marrinan, sitting alone without a jury, said he would return 'not guilty' verdicts on the first two charges, which had accused the men of the more serious offences of attempting to possess the firearms and ammunition with intent and under suspicious circumstances.

The court had earlier heard that the pair had gone to "extensive lengths in order to fulfil the ambition" of buying the guns on the dark web. Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with two undercover officers calling themselves, 'Joe' and 'Danny'.

The Glock 19 had a £2,000 price tag, while the Glock 17 was on offer for £900, each with spare loaded magazines. When Bennett went to Belfast's Yorkgate Shore Road shopping centre, by arrangement, he was arrested at the scene. Police also later recovered a parcel of drugs from Carrick Post Office addressed to Bennett.

Morgan was arrested two days later, and during a largely 'no comment' police interview, handed in a pre-prepared statement in which he claimed Bennett was a friend of his son's and that he was aware he had a drugs problem, but denied there was a conspiracy with him to buy firearms.

While in his interviews Bennett admitted being on the 'dark web' he claimed he had only wanted to buy a pellet gun.

Both men were released on continuing bail before sentencing in December to enable time for pre-sentence and other reports to be compiled.