Two illegal arms dealers have been jailed for a total of 31 years after they used a 3D printer to create machine guns destined for criminal gangs. Sibusiso Moyo, 41 and Christopher Gill, 35, were convicted of manufacturing the firearms after police found the deadly plastic weapons in the back of a BMW.
Video revealed how officers swooped on the car that Majeed Rehman, 46, an associate of the pair, had been driving on May 17 last year in Bradford, West Yorkshire. And they discovered an ‘FGC9’ homemade automatic sub-machine gun, magazine and bullets hidden in a supermarket 'bag for life' in the rear footwell of the car.
Police performed the stop on the vehicle after surveillance showed a man, later identified as Gill, get into the BMW while carrying the shopping bag. And raids on Gill’s property, led by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, found two further almost complete FGC9s in a holdall hidden in his loft.
When Moyo was later arrested, evidence showed he'd been manufacturing FGC9s at his home address in Hull where he had two 3D printers and parts to make weapons. Officers also found a range of other tools and parts, including springs and screws, that could be used to make the guns as shown in an online manual at his address.
Disturbingly, one of the weapons recovered had an image of an arm holding a curved sword with what appears to be blood dripping from its blade imprinted on its side. Evidence also showed firearms at various stages of construction in Moyo’s Kitchen and garage, as well as inside Gill’s home address.
Moyo’s DNA was also found on the weapon taken from the BMW. Sheffield Crown Court heard forensic firearms experts based at the Royal Armouries in Leeds had tested the seized items and confirmed they were viable firearms. It’s thought the 3D-printed assault weapons were the first of their kind ever seized by police in the UK.
On Tuesday, Moyo, of Hull was found guilty of illegally manufacturing a firearm and a separate identity fraud offence following a trial, was jailed for 18 years. Gill, of Bradford, who was found guilty of illegally manufacturing a firearm, was jailed for 13 years, and eight months.
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Speaking after the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer Det Chf Inspector Andrew Howard of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said 3D guns posed a “real threat”.
He said: “Our investigation found that Sibusiso Moyo and Christopher Gill followed detailed instructions and systematically bought items used to manufacture and construct these deadly firearms and ammunition. They demonstrated levels of sophistication in the manufacture processes and successfully produced viable firearms.
“Majeeb Rehman a close criminal associate, was found guilty of distributing one of the viable FGC9, a 3D-printed firearm with an ammunition clip containing eight live rounds of ammunition. Manufacture of viable 3D-printed firearms is a real threat and these firearms were built for one purpose only, to be supplied to other organised criminals who would use them to inflict harm.
“This has been a ground-breaking, complex, investigation supported by the National Crime Agency into the new threat posed by 3D-printed guns. Over recent times we have seen the tragic and devastating consequences that criminally-held firearms being used by offenders have caused.
"These include the fatal shootings of innocent people and the shattering of the lives of those close to them, not to mention the impact such incidents have on our communities. We are determined to keep the public safe by tackling those that chose to manufacture these lethal weapons. Those that do will be hunted down and will feel the full weight of the law and should expect to receive lengthy sentences.”
Matt Perfect, operations manager at the National Crime Agency (NCA) National Firearms Targeting Centre, said the operation had been the first of its kind.
He said: “This OCG (organised crime group) was the first in the UK convicted of trying to supply other criminal groups with 3D-printed firearms. Gun crime in the UK continues to be relatively low compared to mainland Europe and is among the lowest in the world.
“However, demand for firearms in the criminal market continues. Suppressing their availability is therefore a national priority for the NCA and UK law enforcement. The NCA works closely with our policing partners at home and abroad to target criminals using firearms, and to cut off supply routes into the country as well as distribution within it.”
Rehman, from Bradford, was found guilty of possession of ammunition and conspiracy to transfer a prohibited firearm. He will be sentenced at a later date.
