A Bulgarian man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempting to smuggle 54 handguns and 764 rounds of ammunition into Britain concealed inside spare tyres.
Discovery at Dover
Petar Petrov, 57, from Varna, was stopped by Border Force officers at Dover's Eastern Docks on February 4 as he arrived in a rented Mercedes Sprinter. A scan of the van revealed anomalies. Officers found 24 pistols packed into one spare tyre under the vehicle and a further 30 in another tyre at the rear. Each handgun had a loaded magazine.
Although counterfeit, the weapons were fully functional and lethal. The haul also included 764 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Petrov was carrying a black lock knife in a holdall and another knife in the glove box, plus €1,000 believed to be part payment for the smuggling run. He made no comment in the interview.
Conviction and sentencing
He was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court on July 10 of smuggling firearms and ammunition and sentenced on Friday.
NCA senior investigating officer Tracey Gasson said: “Thanks to some brilliant work by Border Force colleagues this haul of deadly weapons and a massive amount of ammunition have been kept off the streets of the UK.
“The organised crime group behind the smuggling attempt have lost a trusted courier and a big pay day. We work closely with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat of illegal firearms to the UK.”
