Five members of an organised crime network who converted blank-firing weapons into deadly firearms from a caravan in Essex have been jailed for a combined 47 years. The gang, based largely in South Ockendon and Tilbury, supplied the converted weapons into London's criminal underworld before their operation was dismantled by detectives.
Investigation and discovery
The investigation was launched after police linked Faisal Razzaq, 44, who was under surveillance following his release from prison for the manslaughter of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in 2005, to a firearm recovered from a vehicle travelling to the Notting Hill Carnival in 2024, according to Essex Live.
Detectives traced the weapon to a workshop run from a caravan by gang leader Thomas McKenna, 60, of Buckles Lane, South Ockendon, uncovering a wider firearms conversion and distribution network operating across Essex. A warrant executed in November 2024 revealed a lathe, drill and equipment used to transform blank-firing weapons into operational firearms, along with ammunition, improvised explosive devices and extremist material; more than 100 items were recovered by officers.
Sentencing of the gang
At a sentencing hearing in February, McKenna, who modified firearms in his caravan, was imprisoned for 16 years after admitting to a series of firearms offences. He also confessed to manufacturing explosives and possessing a collection of terrorist material.
His partner Tina Smith, 55, also of Buckles Lane, South Ockendon, was handed six years' imprisonment. She also admitted to possessing a firearm, manufacturing explosives and holding a collection of terrorist material. A broader criminal network was uncovered by officers, with all members sentenced at Harrow Crown Court.
Other sentences and police response
McKenna and Smith's neighbour, Ricky Dorey, 43, of Buckles Lane, South Ockendon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited firearms and received a ten-year custodial sentence. His brother, Robert Dorey, 44, of Tilbury, Essex, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited firearms and was handed an eight-year prison sentence. Tammy Rigg, 39, of Peartree Close, South Ockendon, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of ammunition without a certificate, receiving a five-year sentence.
Detective Inspector Andy Durham, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "By dismantling the entire network, from those converting the weapons to those distributing and storing them, we have prevented a significant number of illegal firearms from reaching the public."
He added: "The Met continues to intensify its work to drive down firearms offences and take weapons off the streets. Last year alone, officers seized 676 firearms, a 75 per cent increase on 2024. Our teams will continue to relentlessly target anyone involved in gun crime."
