Five held in raids as gun-smuggling operation targeted

Armed police have arrested five men in Yorkshire following a major international investigation into firearms smuggling into the region from the US.
By Rob Preece Crime Correspondent
Published 9th Apr 2011, 07:00 BST

The detained men were being questioned by detectives last night after officers raided addresses in Bradford, Leeds and Pontefract.

West Yorkshire Police carried out the arrests in the early hours of yesterday in a joint operation with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They were acting on intelligence shared by numerous US crime-fighting agencies, including the elite Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Police said the men arrested were all from Bradford. Two were aged 32, two were 23 and the other was 31.

The Yorkshire Post understands that the investigation is not linked to terrorism.

West Yorkshire Police’s head of crime division, Det Chief Supt Ingrid Lee, said: “These arrests show we are not prepared to tolerate the presence of firearms on our streets and within our communities.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Local, national and international law enforcement agencies have worked together to ensure an effective and robust response to this illegal activity.”

SOCA officer Nigel Kirby said: “Criminals who traffic firearms on to UK streets knowingly jeopardise the safety of citizens and communities.

“SOCA works closely with its partners to stop organised crime groups trafficking and distributing firearms.

“This operation, led by West Yorkshire Police, demonstrates how effective partnerships can be in protecting the public.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Matt Lewis, head of knowledge at NABIS, said: “These arrests show how UK law enforcement agencies, both nationally and internationally, can work together to stop this type of illegal activity.

“NABIS will continue to work with its partners which include police forces, SOCA and the ATF to take firearms off our streets and out of criminal hands.”

Police in the UK and the US regularly share intelligence to identify criminals who bring guns across the Atlantic.

Last month an American accused of smuggling 62 guns into the UK pleaded guilty in a North Carolina court to two counts of transporting guns outside the US without a federal export licence.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Former US marine Steven Greenoe, 37, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1m fine.

American investigators said one of the guns allegedly bought by Greenoe had been linked to a drive-by shooting in Manchester last October.