Gun Smuggler Busted After 9mm Pistol Found in Post from US
UK Gun Runner Caught Red-Handed
Givaunni Macdonna, 28, tried to sneak a loaded 9mm pistol, nine bullets, and a stash of cannabis into the UK from Florida. But thanks to a joint operation by the National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police, his plan was foiled.
Border Force Snags Dangerous Package
On July 27, 2020, Border Force officers at Coventry International Hub intercepted a suspicious parcel. Inside a locked metal safe was a Brazilian Taurus 9mm handgun, a magazine with nine rounds, and 352 grams of skunk cannabis.
The cops removed the illegal items, slipped a listening device inside, resealed the box, and sent it on to Macdonna’s address in Elephant and Castle, central London.
Smuggler’s Sting Ends in Arrest
Macdonna tracked the package on his phone and collected it on July 31 before taking it home to Greenwich. Realising the box was empty when he opened it, he dumped it in nearby Winns Common—only to be arrested minutes later.
In custody, he claimed he thought the package contained “just weed” and that a dealer nicknamed ‘Ron’ had asked him to collect it to clear a drug debt.
Jailed for Importing Firearms and Drugs
Forensics revealed Macdonna used WhatsApp to chat with an unknown accomplice about the gun’s delivery. A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty of importing a firearm, attempted possession of a firearm and ammunition, and bringing drugs into the UK.
He was jailed today.
Andy Tickner of the Organised Crime Partnership said: “If we and Border Force hadn’t removed that weapon, it would now be somewhere on our streets posing a huge threat.”
