The Florida Four refers to four people, Anthony Smyth, Conor Claxton, Martin Mullan and Siobhan Browne who were arrested for running guns from the
United States to the
Republic of Ireland for eventual use in
Northern Ireland by the
Provisional Irish Republican Army.
The operation was first uncovered in 1999 and the group were convicted in 2000
The group was able to send about a 100 handguns, rifles and shotguns, as well as armour-piercing ammunition. The weapons were mailed from
Fort Lauderdale in packages containing toys and electronics.
Browne later said that Claxton "spent more than US$100,000 off the books on semi- and fully automatic weapons".
In August 1999, the IRA, through the Irish republican newspaper ''
An Phoblacht
''An Phoblacht'' (Irish pronunciation: ; en, "The Republic") is a formerly weekly, and currently monthly newspaper published by Sinn Féin in Ireland. From early 2018 onwards, ''An Phoblacht'' has moved to a magazine format while remaining an ...
'', denied sanctioning the plot. This contradicts Conor Claxton's testimony that he was sent to Florida by a senior IRA official and that they needed higher approval to complete the arms mission.
"Lies catch up with Teflon leaders"
'' NewsHound''. Accessed 2007-10-05
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florida Four
People convicted of arms trafficking
Provisional Irish Republican Army members