A Bristol man who manufactured a 3D-printed sub-machine gun and sent it through the post to a Liverpool firearms offender has been jailed for 13 years and eight months.
Luke Fortune, 23, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, November 6, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Garage conversion operation
The unemployed 23-year-old converted firearms at his family home in Longwell Green, Bristol, before selling them for profit to other criminals. Fortune operated from his family's garage in Mapstone Rise, where he bought tools and equipment to turn blank firearms into lethal weapons.
NCA officers first arrested him in July 2024 over the purchase of 35 top-venting blank firearms, three antique firearms and more than 1,000 bullets, as well as the manufacture of a 3D-printed sub-machine gun.
He was arrested again in January 2026 while on bail after two handguns, including a Glock-type pistol and a revolver, were discovered hidden in a bush in Longwell Green by Avon and Somerset Police officers.
Links to Liverpool offender
An investigation into Fortune's digital and financial records revealed his links to firearms offender Gerard Dagnall, 33, from Norris Green. Dagnall had attempted to smuggle eight handguns from Belgium into the UK and was jailed for eight years and three months in November 2024 following a separate NCA investigation.
Messages between the pair showed Fortune was expected to receive some of the firearms Dagnall had sourced abroad and was arranging deals for him to sell weapons to other criminals.
In one exchange, Fortune sent Dagnall a 3D-printed FGC9 sub-machine gun through the post, alongside a video showing him test-firing the weapon in a wood. Dagnall responded with a photograph of the package next to his passport, writing: "I can't believe you sent me a machine gun through the post."
Their online conversations also revealed plans to travel to Thailand together to smuggle firearms back into the UK, before attempting to bring in further weapons from Belgium.
Evidence and prosecution
When NCA officers searched Fortune's home, they discovered numerous blank bullets, cartridges, cases and primers in various stages of conversion. His bank accounts also revealed he had spent several thousand pounds on blank firearms between 2022 and 2024.
Fortune previously admitted two counts of possessing firearms, two counts of possessing ammunition, converting firearms, manufacturing a firearm, selling or transferring firearms and conspiracy to import firearms.
NCA senior investigating officer Andy Lawton said: "Luke Fortune was a dangerous offender. He did not care about the potential devastation he could have caused if one of these converted guns fell into the wrong hands."
"Firearms crime in the UK is among the lowest in the world and it is vital that is maintained. Protecting the public from the threat of firearms is a principal priority for the NCA and partners in policing and Border Force."
Specialist prosecutor Nigel James, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Fortune had established an illegal firearms operation from his family home. He added: "The scale of his offending was deeply troubling and his willingness to put deadly weapons on our streets and in the hands of known criminals showed a blatant disregard for public safety."
"Working closely with the National Crime Agency, prosecutors pieced together a trail of messages, financial records and firearms evidence, demonstrating the full extent of Fortune's offending, securing these convictions. Those who fuel the illegal firearms trade and place communities at risk will be caught and prosecuted."
The case comes after around 4,300 top-venting blank firearms were surrendered during two national amnesties held in 2025 and 2026. The NCA and National Police Chiefs' Council worked together to organise the amnesties, which covered four types of Turkish-made firearms in 2025 and five types of Italian-made Bruni blank-firing guns in 2026.
