Raymond Frederick Nugent, 73, designed his own firing mechanisms and cut cardboard templates before pressing metal to create the weapons.
But he was apprehended after a tip from the National Crime Agency (NCA) led detectives to the cache, which he had been building for years.
Nugent, of Coltishall Road, Hornchurch, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on Friday, 20 January, at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
At a previous hearing, he was found guilty of 45 firearms offences.
The NCA notified the Met after receiving information that Nugent had imported a blank-firing weapon from the Czech Republic.
Officers discovered a number of safes at his home after executing a warrant under the Firearms Act in November 2018. They discovered batches of firearms and ammunition that had been carefully wrapped and stored inside.
As police continued to search the address, Nugent was arrested and taken to an east London police station for questioning.
Even upon initial inspection, specialist officers on the scene could tell he was in possession of viable firearms. They were apprehended and taken for questioning.
Several of these were items Nugent had made from scratch in his workshop, using drills and vices to create fully functional weapons. During the trial, an expert stated that one of Nugent’s weapons was 25% more powerful than a factory-produced firearm of similar calibre and style.
Among the cache were a number of deactivated weapons that had been reactivated, as well as others that had been converted to fire, including a stun gun, an Italian Bruni (BBM) Model ME.38calibre revolver, and a Turkish Atak 914-self-loading 9mm pistol. He had also converted blank ammunition into usable ammunition.
Nugent described himself as a “gun nut” during the interview, but stated that he had no intention of firing or selling the weapons.
He was bailed and later released under investigation while further investigations were carried out.
In October 2019, he was charged via postal requisition.
Though no evidence of any associated criminality linked to Nugent’s activities was found, the arsenal he had in his possession was lethal and, in the wrong hands, quite capable of causing incredibly serious harm,” Detective Superintendent Victoria Sullivan, Specialist Crime, said.
We were able to bring Nugent to justice here because of our quick and decisive collaboration with our colleagues in the National Crime Agency, who alerted us to him.
The judge recognised our investigating officer’s efforts and commended him.”
“This investigation demonstrates how we will seek to arrest and prosecute anyone involved in the production of dangerous weapons,” said investigating officer Detective Sergeant Andy Henderson.
The weapons will now be destroyed once the criminal proceedings are completed. It is only by chance that Nugent avoided serious injury during production; though some may appear crude, it is a highly dangerous enterprise, and anyone involved in similar activities should be well aware of the risks.”
