LONDON:
A 40-year-old British-Pakistani man, Yasir Khan, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to smuggle 72 firearm components into the United Kingdom.
An investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that Khan had hidden 36 top slides and 36 barrels of 9mm Glock self-loading pistols inside a 1976 Datsun Sunny imported from Pakistan. Khan later pleaded guilty to the charges.
**Discovery of the Illegal Shipment**
The firearm components were expertly concealed within the vehicle. They were found hidden underneath the windscreen, behind the engine block, and inside the fuel tank during a search conducted by Border Force officers at London Gateway Port on July 7, 2024.
Following the discovery, NCA officers launched an investigation. Khan, who claimed to be a car dealer, was arrested by the agency’s Armed Operations Unit on July 12 in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
**Court Proceedings and Evidence**
Khan, a resident of Lea Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court, where he admitted to smuggling firearms and was subsequently sentenced.
During the investigation, NCA officers uncovered voice notes on Khan’s phone indicating communication with a supplier in Pakistan who had access to firearm component manufacturing facilities. The supplier had reportedly invited Khan to visit “the factory” during the summer of 2023.
Khan is also suspected of a similar smuggling attempt in November 2023. Voice notes and videos on his phone showed him struggling with ammunition jamming issues in firearms that had been assembled and test-fired.
Additionally, evidence revealed that Khan had purchased several deactivated firearms in 2023, which he allegedly intended to convert back into functional, lethal weapons.
**Law Enforcement Response**
NCA Senior Investigating Officer David Phillips stated, “Working with our law enforcement partners at home and abroad, preventing illegal firearms from reaching the streets of the UK is a key priority for the NCA.”
He added, “The NCA and Border Force have prevented this significant array of component parts from entering the criminal marketplace and being used to produce lethal firearms for organized crime groups.”
The case highlights the ongoing efforts of UK law enforcement agencies to combat the illegal importation and distribution of firearms, which pose a serious threat to public safety.
