A man from Cornwall is amongst ten people arrested as part of a national operation that has also seized 61 firearms, crossbows, drugs and £2,000 in cash. 

This was coordinated by the National Crime Agency and involved 25 police forces and regional organised crime units throughout the UK.

Of those arrested, four people have now been charged with various firearms offences and remanded in custody.

Among them is Nathan Alexander Hughes, aged 41, from Redruth, who has been charged with three offences after Devon & Cornwall Police officers seized three firearms and a submachine gun that had allegedly been dismantled and buried in various locations in his garden, according to a NCA spokesperson. 

His charges include the alleged armed robbery of an off-licence in Redruth.

All ten people arrested were previously identified by NCA investigators as having believed to have bought Flobert or blank-firing weapons online from sellers in eastern Europe.

Falmouth Packet:

Another of the guns seized. Photo: National Crime Agency

A National Crime Agency spokesperson said: “Flobert guns are lethal in their original state and many of the blank-firers purchased were readily convertible to chamber live ammunition.

“Both are illegal to possess in the UK, but are freely available in countries across eastern Europe and can be purchased online for less than £100.”

Of those arrested, four people have now been charged with various firearms offences and remanded in custody.

The others come from Peterborough and Scotland.

In total, officers recovered 61 firearms, 1,000 rounds of ammunition, two crossbows, £2,000 in cash, eight Rolex watches and a kilo of cannabis as part of the crackdown.

Simon Brough, Firearms Threat Lead at the NCA, said: “This operation highlights just how important it is for us to tackle the importation of illegal firearms into the UK. The mere availability of these firearms creates a range of significant risks to the public.

“Officers have seized 61 firearms some buried in the gardens of those arrested. That’s 61 weapons, capable of ending lives.

“Handguns are the most commonly used criminal firearm in the UK. We know they are strongly linked to drug supply and are used by criminal gangs to facilitate their illegal activity, so these types of operations are a key part of our work to reduce serious violence and protect the public.

“The level of gun crime in the UK is one of the lowest in the world and strict UK legislation means it’s harder for criminals to access illegal weapons here.

“But we must continue to identify the supply routes by which illegal firearms enter the UK and collaborate with police forces and international law enforcement agencies to disrupt the criminals gangs using them.”