A former German soldier who smuggled thousands of rounds of ammunition into the UK is facing jail.
Gun enthusiast Manfred Kurz, 61, brought suitcases of bullets into the UK under the cover of his German firearms licence, and was also caught with explosives and bullet-making equipment when his south London home was raided.
Kurz’s niece, 25-year-old Sian Alexandra Miller, built a distribution network for the bullets across the country, enlisting her cousin Lorenzo Brooks, 28, Sierra Denton, 21, and her boyfriend Mishak Wright-Martin, 33, and 22-year-old Lukas Duncan.
When police officers busted the gang in February last year — in one of the Met’s “biggest ever” ammunition seizures — they recovered more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as evidence that bullets had been sold to underworld figures.
At Miller’s South Norwood home, officers found 1,800 rounds loaded into suitcases, as well as two pistols, five CS spray canisters, explosive powder and bullet-making equipment.
More explosive black powder was seized from Kurz’s home in Croydon, as well as equipment to turn blank bullets into live rounds.
Detective Constable Martin Reader, of Trident Gang Crime Command, said: “The recovery of this haul of ammunition and black powder represents one of the Met’s largest-ever seizures of ammunition and explosive substances in recent times. A huge amount of ammunition has been recovered, which we believe was destined to be sold to criminals with gang connections.”
Kurz, who moved to the UK in 2004, admitted two counts of possession of firearms, two charges of possession of ammunition, possession of explosive substances and possession of component parts of a firearm.
Denton, from South Norwood, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
At a trial at Croydon crown court, Miller, Duncan, of Surbiton, and Wright-Martin, from Kennington, all denied involvement in the criminal operation, but were convicted in December of conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition.
The convictions can be reported for the first time today following the conviction at a separate trial of Brooks, from Catford, who denied but was found guilty of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and possession of component parts of a firearm. All six are due to be sentenced on April 3.
