A man has been sentenced after buying dozens of blank firing guns from Spain to sell online in the UK.
Nathan Stephen Paul, 32, from Castledawson in Northern Ireland was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in December 2019.
A search of his home found 32 guns and three tasers - the firearms were classified as Front Venting Blank Firing (FVBF) weapons which can be converted to fire live rounds and are illegal in the UK.
Paul had posted an advert online advertising the weapons and officers linked him to courier orders made after selling weapons to others.
A further five weapons were recovered by police after information was passed to them by the NCA.
Paul pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of prohibited weapons and one count of selling firearms within the UK at Londonderry Crown Court on January 26 this year.
He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment, suspended for three years, at the same court on May 31.
NCA Branch Commander David Cunningham said: “This operation saw the NCA seize a significant number of weapons from Paul who was selling these illegal items at a profit to buyers online.
“Our work with forces throughout the UK has also seen others who have purchased weapons from Paul brought to justice.
“The NCA will continue to work with partners in the UK and internationally to prevent dangerous weapons being imported and reaching those who may use them to commit further offences and cause serious harm.”
Since 2019 the NCA and Guardia Civil – which has jurisdiction in Spain for the national control of firearms – has been jointly working on Project Vizardlike to combat the threat.
More than 703 firearms have been recovered in the UK, along with 74 arrests, 51 convictions and 133 premises searched, all carried out by NCA and UK police forces.
