A suspect in a major probe that has seen AK47s and sub-machine guns removed from the streets has been brought back to the UK.
Robert Brazendale was extradited from Spain on Thursday night, three months after his arrest on the Costa del Sol.
He appeared in court today after being charged with firearms offences.
The National Crime Agency investigation that led to his arrest was sparked by the mass-hack of the encrypted messaging service EncroChat.
It led to the recovery of an AK47 from a property in Warrington in April, then the discovery of Uzi and Skorpion sub-machine guns, ammunition, £180,000 in cash and a kilogram of cocaine in London.
In June an AK47 was discovered at an address in Manchester and a stash of guns and ammunition was dug up from a garden in Warrington last month.
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This morning, Brazendale appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody.
He will next appear at Manchester Crown Court on January 15.
The 33-year-old, from Warrington, is accused of acting in a conspiracy with others to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Neil Gardner, NCA operations manager, today said: “The extradition of Brazendale has once again shown excellent collaboration between the NCA and Spanish National Police.
“As part of this investigation, we have removed some of the most deadly firearms and ammunition that exist from the streets of the UK communities.
“We will continue to target offenders who bring firearms into our communities.”
