A handgun has been seized after being posted from the US to an address in Northern Ireland, the National Crime Agency says.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the NCA said a man has now been charged with “attempting to import a gun and ammunition in the post from the United States”.
National Crime Agency officers arrested 38-year-old Christopher Scott on Tuesday in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, in an operation supported by the PSNI.
A quantity of class C drugs was also recovered during the operation, they added.
The NCA statement says the Sig Sauer pistol, along with magazines and ammunition, had been found by Border Force officers carrying out checks on incoming mail at an international depot near Stansted Airport in Essex.
It was recovered from a parcel sent from the US containing computer parts, the Agency added.
Scott, of Frosses Road, Ballymoney, has now been charged with “attempting to import a firearm, two charges relating to the attempted possession of a firearm, and possessing class C drugs with intent to supply”.
The NCA says he is due before Ballymena magistrates today (15 October).
A 29-year-old man arrested by the NCA at the same time has been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service, they added.
NCA Belfast branch commander David Cunningham said: “This operation has prevented a deadly firearm from reaching the streets of County Antrim.
“Working with partners like the PSNI and Border Force we are determined to do all we can to stop those who want to bring violence into our communities.”
