A Dublin man has been jailed for nine years for holding guns for a large criminal organisation.

Graham Gardner, of Carnlough Road in Cabra, was wearing a bulletproof vest when Gardaí approached him in November 2016.

He came to Garda attention as they followed a white Ford Focus van as part of a surveillance operation.

He had a car key on him, which he claimed to have found while out walking his dog.

The key opened a car found in an underground car park not far from where Gardner was seen talking to the occupants of the van.

Two machine guns, three loaded revolvers and over 100 rounds of ammunition were found in the car.

The court heard Gardner’s fingerprints were found on the revolvers, and one of the machine guns - but he could not explain how they got there.

He later accepted they belonged to a large criminal organisation.

When asked why he was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was arrested, he said it was for his own protection.

Judge Martin Nolan accepted his admissions were helpful, but said he must have known the guns were to be used to cause serious harm or death to others.

He described the holding of firearms for third parties as a "very serious" offence before jailing him for nine years.

Reporting by Frank Greaney