Biography
Joseph McColgin (also widely reported as Joseph McColgan) was an Irish national implicated by U.S. authorities in efforts to acquire weaponry for the Northern Ireland conflict. In public accounts of the case, he was described as part of a small, disciplined procurement effort focused on obtaining high-grade weapons rather than low-level fundraising or political advocacy.
McColgin was arrested in January 1990 as part of an undercover operation centered on the attempted acquisition and unlawful export of a Stinger anti-aircraft missile and other weapons. He was later convicted in federal court for conspiring to export the missile without authorization, a case that became emblematic of U.S. efforts to interdict IRA-linked arms procurement on American soil.
