An illicit factory producing deadly firearms and explosives for organised crime networks was secretly operating on Britain's largest traveller site, a major police investigation has revealed.
Workshop of Death Uncovered in Static Caravan
The clandestine operation, run by 59-year-old Thomas McKenna, was housed in a static caravan on the Buckles Lane site in South Ockendon, Essex. The workshop was equipped with drills, lathes, and welding gear used to convert blank-firing pistols imported from Turkey into lethal weapons.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, SO15, who organised a raid in November last year, also discovered evidence of homemade bomb production and gunpowder. The unit was further used to manufacture illegal ‘dum dum’ bullets – ammunition with hollowed-out heads designed to expand on impact.
Links to Crime Gangs and Far-Right Extremism
The investigation began after a converted pistol and expanding ammunition were found during a police search of Sterling Sports and Prestige Ltd, a high-end car dealership in Kent. Forensic tests linked these items directly to McKenna's workshop.
During the raid on McKenna's caravan, police also seized evidence connecting him to extreme right-wing anti-Muslim activity. A Crown Prosecution Service source confirmed McKenna and his girlfriend, Tina Smith, were linked to anti-Muslim extremism but acted independently, not as part of a recognised group.
McKenna has now admitted a string of serious offences, including converting imitation firearms, conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited firearms and ammunition, and possession of prohibited items. Tina Smith admitted one count of possessing a prohibited firearm.
Network Supplied London and the South East
The prosecution stated that McKenna's operation supplied converted firearms and ammunition through a criminal network to buyers in London and surrounding counties. The gang included Patrick Loughnane, 59, Ricky Dorey, 43, his brother Robert Dorey, 44, and Tammy Rigg, 39, all of whom have pleaded guilty to related charges.
Mobile phone evidence placed McKenna travelling from the Buckles Lane site to the Kent car dealership in September 2024, allegedly to deliver ammunition. Communications between gang members referred to 'seeds', a criminal code word for bullets.
Both McKenna and Smith also pleaded guilty to making explosives, though they denied any connection to terrorism. However, they admitted possessing documents and videos on bomb-making likely useful to a terrorist, including a guide on constructing a Sten submachine gun from scrap metal.
Site Expansion and Sentencing Ahead
The Buckles Lane site was originally authorised in the 1940s for about 31 caravan pitches for travelling showmen but has been unlawfully expanded to 111 pitches, now housing over 1,000 people. A source described the dramatic police raid, noting the presence of a "full-blown troop of armed police in helmets" and that officers hinted the operation was "to do with bombs and terrorism."
In a connected case, Allan Crosby and Ryan Smith, both 44 and who ran the car dealership, were found guilty of possessing the firearm and ammunition supplied by McKenna's network. They had met in prison while serving sentences for separate drug offences.
Thomas McKenna, Tina Smith, Allan Crosby, and Ryan Smith are due to be sentenced at court on January 29. Other gang members, including Loughnane and the Dorey brothers, will be sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on February 27.
