UVF chief Winston “Winkey” Irvine was detained after being caught with a “significant towing” of weapons and ammunition.
The 46-year-old was arrested after police found a pistol, an air weapon and more than 200 rounds of ammunition from various types of bullets in a bag in the trunk of his car on Wednesday morning.
A detective inspector told the Belfast magistrate’s court yesterday that a number of UVF souvenirs and 3,000 British pounds in cash had also been found in a subsequent search of his home.
The official added that Irvine had been seen by officers talking to the driver of a Volkswagen van on Glencairn Street in the Woodvale area of northern Belfast.
Irvine was seen opening the trunk of his car as the driver of the van opened his side and pulled out an object.
Irvine was then seen closing the trunk of his car before heading to Disraeli Street outside Shankil Road, where he was stopped by uniformed officers.
The police asked him if there was anything in his car that he could not explain. He pointed to Sainsbury’s orange bag in the boot, but said he didn’t know what was in it.
The bag contained a single 8mm blank pistol, an ME38 .22 Brocock air pistol, 203 9×19 mm cartridges, two 7.65×17 mm cartridges, two .243 Winchester cartridges and one 5.56×45 cartridge.
Nine cartridges were also found, including one used for an SA80 assault rifle issued to the armed forces.
Irvine was arrested under the Terrorism Act and taken to the Musgrave Street Police Department, where he was interviewed five times.
The official told the court that he had not initially commented, but when interviewed for the fourth time, he said the weapons “had nothing to do with him”.
In the fifth interview, he handed the employees a prepared statement, but refused to answer any questions about its content.
Irvine was then charged with possession of firearms and ammunition in suspicious circumstances, possession of prohibited firearms, possession of a non-certified pistol and possession of unauthorized ammunition.
The officer told the court that the 8mm pistol had been replaced with a barrel so that it could fire live ammunition.
He also said that a mixed DNA profile containing traces of Irvine’s DNA was found from the handles of the bag.
When Irvine’s house in the Ballysillan area of northern Belfast was searched, a UVF plate of “fallen volunteers” was found next to family photos.
Numerous UVF ‘B’ Company pins were also found, along with a large UVF pendant in the nightstand drawer.
Commemorative badges of UVF commander Trevor King and UVF member Brian Robinson, both of whom were shot during the trouble, were also found along with the balaclava.
Opposing the release of Irvine on bail, the officer said the ammunition found was compatible with a number of weapons that had not yet been found and had “all the hallmarks of a paramilitary operation”.
He said that if released, Irvine could try to move weapons and obstruct others involved in weapons storage.
The official added that his release could also increase tensions in the community and pose a risk to public safety.
Applying for bail, Irvine’s lawyer said he was a “high-profile person” with contacts in the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with senior PSNI officials.
He said Irvine was a “famous peacebuilder” who had worked in the sector for 20 years and had to graduate from Maynooth University yesterday with a degree in international peacebuilding and development.
The lawyer told the court that during the riots at the Lanark Way interface in Belfast last year, Irvine and representatives of the nationalist side of the community worked to defuse tensions at the request of police.
He said there was nothing to suggest that Irvine had the weapons for “malicious purposes”, nor did he know what was in the bag, and that he would fight the allegations in the “galaxy” of defense witnesses.
The lawyer also pointed out that the last entry in Irvine’s criminal record was that he had been an unaccompanied L-driver since 2009.
He said Irvine was a married man with four children and that his family members were ready to post a £ 10,000 bail to secure his release on bail.
However, District Judge George Connor said a “significant seizure” of weapons had been found and believed there was a risk of insult and interference with witnesses.
He refused the defendant’s bail and left him in custody, with the case adjourned until July 1.
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