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, which was shipped from Pakistan.
The illegal firearm parts were concealed beneath the windscreen, behind the engine block, and inside the fuel tank. The Border Force, working alongside the NCA, discovered the hidden components during a search at London Gateway Port on July 7, 2024.
Following this discovery, the NCA launched an investigation, leading to Khan’s arrest on July 12 in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter by the agency’s Armed Operations Unit. Khan, who claimed to be a car dealer, later pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Investigators found voice notes on Khan’s mobile phone proving contact with a supplier in Pakistan, who had access to firearm component manufacturing. In the summer of 2023, Khan was even invited to visit the supplier’s factory.
Authorities suspect that Khan was involved in a similar smuggling attempt in November 2023. Additional voice notes and videos retrieved from his phone showed him struggling with ammunition jamming while test-firing assembled firearms. Evidence also suggested that he had purchased several deactivated firearms in 2023, which he likely converted into fully functional lethal weapons.
Commenting on the case, 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.
"The NCA and Border Force have prevented this huge array of component parts from entering the criminal marketplace and being used to produce lethal firearms for organised crime groups."
