He was discovered with 60 firearms in the car he was driving.
On Friday morning (2 August), Border Force officers stopped a Volkswagen Passat arriving at the Port of Dover from Calais.
An initial search recovered a Sig Sauer P226 blank firing handgun, with a barrel converted to fire live ammunition in the car’s rear-left quarter panel.
Subsequent searches by specialist deep-rummage teams unearthed another 59 firearms concealed within the car.
The find is believed to be largest seizure of lethal purpose weapons at a port in the UK.
A 37-year-old man from Dublin has been charged with illegally importing firearms and will appear at Margate Magistrates’ Court on Monday 5 August.
Andrea Wilson, head of southern regional investigations National Crime Agency, said: “This is a major achievement. The NCA and Border Force have removed a huge haul of lethal firearms and will have made a significant impact on the organised crime group responsible for this attempted importation.
“Our investigation into the seizure is ongoing but there’s little doubt that these weapons would have gone on the criminal market and into the hands of seriously dangerous individuals.”
Main image via NCA
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