Two friends who engaged in a botched firearms conspiracy have now been jailed after coming to the attention of police during an unrelated case.
Umair Karim, 22, and Muhammed Hassan, 27, have been jailed for five years and three months after admitting to charges of conspiring to transfer a firearm at Nottingham Crown Court, August 10.
Detectives applied for a warrant to search Karim's house and discovered messages discussing the use of a handgun.
The messages showed that Hassan approached Karim with the intention of trying to secure a firearm off him and also to deal drugs.
Karim bragged about his access to multiple lethal firearms including a Mac 11 machine pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle.
After his arrest, Karim admitted to holding the conversations but claimed he was bragging with no actual means of securing a firearm.
Karim's knowledge of guns, he claimed, had been due to watching videos on the internet.
Hassan of Serpentine Road, Bradford, declined to answer any questions.
Karim, of Ferngill Close, The Meadows, also admitted to the supply of class B drugs, and Hassan admitted to being concerned in the supply of class A, class B and class C drugs.
Detective Sergeant Julian Eminson-Ferry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Nottinghamshire Police treat all firearms offences with the utmost seriousness and are committed to keeping dangerous weapons off our streets.
“As these two men have just discovered to the cost even the discussion of such offences can have incredibly serious legal consequence.
"Because as this case proves we do not need to recover an actual weapon to prove a conspiracy to acquire and use one.
“On this occasion we were able to fall back on a treasure trove of mobile phone evidence to put both of these men behind bars. I hope this case serves as a warning to others of our resolve to crack down on even the slightest hint of gun crime on our streets.”
To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here.
