Three men have been charged after a suspected gun factory was discovered on the edge of a market town in East Sussex, investigators said.
About 30 guns were recovered from a warehouse labelled as a gearbox repair business on an industrial estate in Hailsham, the National Crime Agency said.
Machinery and components suspected of being used for the manufacture of guns and ammunition, including a number of handguns in various stages of production, were also found, the NCA said.
Greg Akehurst, 29, of no fixed address, and Mark Kinman, 63, of Hailsham, were both charged with possessing a firearm.
Kyle Wood, 30, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, was charged with the same offence as well as possessing ammunition.
The three men were remanded in custody at Brighton magistrates court on Monday and are due to appear at Kingston crown court on 17 September.
Rob Hickinbottom, head of the NCA’s national firearms threat centre, said: “Our investigation is continuing, and much of what we have discovered at this location will now be the subject of careful forensic analysis. We suspect this operation has disrupted a group that would appear to be involved in the criminal production of firearms. As a result, we have prevented a potentially large quantity of weapons from getting on to the black market and into the hands of criminals.”
The site was cordoned off while investigations continued.
