Two men who tried to smuggle a lethal arsenal of 79 guns and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition in a car engine have been jailed for 45 years.
Steven Spires, 37, and Denis Kolencukov, 26, were convicted for conspiring to import revolvers and ammunition from mainland Europe, and were handed 26 years each.
Their accomplice Michael Nicholls, 28, was also convicted for his role in the conspiracy – but will be sentenced at a later date as his barrister is currently self-isolating due to the killer coronavirus, Kingston Crown Court heard.
Prosecuting, Christopher Hewertson today said the group carried out seven importations between January and July 2017, making a profit of up to £1.2million.
Border Force officers seized 79 handguns and over 4,000 rounds hidden in engine blocks on a van’s trailer as it tried entering the Channel Tunnel on July 1.
Kolencukov bought revolvers, which were legal to purchase in his native Czech Republic, and had them transported via an unwitting courier.
NCA photo of 79 handguns found hidden in engine blocks on a vehicle in France just before it entered the Channel Tunnel, as two men were convicted for smuggling lethal firearms
The weapons and ammunition would be transported to the Seaborough Industrial Estate in Slough where Spires would manage their onward sale, the court heard.
He was arrested after the July raid, while Spires and Nicholls were arrested two days later with nine guns in the car park of the Whip and Collar Pub by the state.
A total of 95 handguns were seized as part of the investigation.
The organised criminal operation, however, is likely to have successfully imported at least 500 weapons, and maybe as many as 700 lethal firearms.
Mr Hewertson said the July haul alone is estimated to have been worth up to £150,000 – while the 4mm and 6mm calibre guns each cost between £35 and £130 to buy, their illicit selling prices in the UK ranges between £1,000 and £2,000.
The QC added: ‘If each were of similar size and volume as the July consignment, we would have in the range of 700 lethal firearms.
‘Therefore, a profit range of around between £600,000 and £1.2 million.’
Kingston Crown Court heard 138 illegal revolvers were seized in the UK in 2017, described as ‘the tip of the iceberg’.
NCA photo of more than 4,000 of rounds of ammunition hidden in engine blocks on a vehicle in France just before it entered the Channel Tunnel on July 1, 2017
Steven Spires (left) and Denis Kolencukov (right) were convicted for conspiring to import revolvers and ammunition from mainland Europe, and were handed 26 years each
NCA photo of more than 4,000 of rounds of ammunition hidden in engine blocks on a vehicle in France just before it entered the Channel Tunnel on July 1, 2017
The prosecutor accused their ‘criminal activities’ of ‘significantly increasing the availability of firearms capable of lethal force in the UK’.
Spires, of no fixed abode, and Nicholls, from Slough, were found guilty of conspiracy to import firearms while Kolencukov admitted the charge before trial.
Kolencukov, also from Slough, further admitted conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life or enable another to endanger life, and a similar charge of conspiracy to possess ammunition.
Spires and Nicholls were acquitted of the two additional charges but convicted of a charge of possession of a prohibited weapon.
Judge Rajeev Shetty, sentencing Spires and Kolencukov, said the conspiracy involved a ‘staggering’ number of guns.
He told the defendants: ‘This was a well-organised and lucrative conspiracy to import revolvers and ammunition from the continent.’
Addressing Spires, who gave a thumbs-up as he was sentenced, Judge Shetty added: ‘While these guns are revolvers, they are still lethally powerful and every single gun and every single bullet could have killed someone.
‘They were imported and sold for profit with indifference about who they may hurt.
‘You were aware of the purpose of these guns being imported. They were going to proper criminals for proper criminal activity.’
He added: ‘For someone who obviously has so much energy and may I say, a degree of natural charisma, what a waste of a life it has been.’
Judge Shetty added: ‘You, Mr Kolencukov, were doing much of the work in respect of obtaining the ammunition and firearms.’
All three men will return to court for confiscation proceedings later this year.