An Irishman has been charged after 60 firearms were found hidden in a car at Dover in what is thought to be the largest seizure of lethal weapons at a port in the UK.
Border Force officers stopped a VW Passat and recovered a Sig Sauer P226 blank firing handgun, with a barrel converted to fire live ammunition in the car’s rear-left quarter panel.
Subsequent searches by the UK's National Crime Agency’s specialist search teams unearthed another 59 firearms concealed deeply inside the car’s bumper and both rear quarter panels.
Robert Keogh, age 37, from Dublin, has been charged with illegally importing firearms and will appear at Margate Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
Andrea Wilson, NCA head of regional investigations south, said: “This is a major achievement. The NCA and Border Force have removed a huge haul of lethal firearms and will have made a significant impact on the organised crime group responsible for this attempted importation.
“Our investigation into the seizure is ongoing but there’s little doubt that these weapons would have gone on the criminal market and into the hands of seriously dangerous individuals.
“The level of gun crime in the UK is one of the lowest in the world.
“But these weapons pose massive potential for harm, making their criminal use a priority for the NCA and wider UK law enforcement.”
Nick Drinkal, regional director, Border Force south east & Europe said: “This is a significant seizure of lethal firearms that could have reached the hands of criminal gangs operating within the United Kingdom.
“The actions of the officers involved in this event have undoubtedly saved many lives and by doing so has highlighted the vital role Border Force plays, together with our partner agencies, in the fight against organised crime.”
