Czech Gun Runner Nabbed in UK Import Bust
A Czech man caught trying to smuggle a semi-automatic rifle and live ammo into the UK has been jailed for nearly 13 years. The National Crime Agency (NCA) crackdown has slammed Radek Dobias, 42, with a 12-year and nine-month sentence at Manchester Crown Court.
Van Cargo of Death Discovered at Dover
Back in April 2018, Border Force officers at the Port of Dover found a Slovakian-made Grand Power Stribog SR9A2 rifle and 465 rounds of ammunition hidden in a van stuffed with foam. The van driver claimed ignorance, saying he’d just been to the Czech Republic to pick up a racing buggy for his boss.
But NCA forensic experts linked Dobias’s DNA to the deadly weapon. Although Dobias wasn’t in the UK at the time, cops tracked him down in the Czech Republic.
Manhunt Ends at Manchester Airport
After serving a 4-year prison stint for unrelated crimes like theft, criminal damage, and forgery, Dobias flew into Manchester in March 2022. Waiting NCA officers swooped and arrested him on arrival.
Dobias pleaded guilty to attempting to import a firearm and ammunition at Manchester Crown Court in November 2023.
NCA Warns on Firearm Threat
NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes said: “Radek Dobias played an integral role in this importation attempt, with evidence showing he handled the gun and ammunition personally. These items had the potential to cause serious injury and death. The group had imported enough ammo to cause untold damage if used on the streets.”
“Tackling the criminal trade in firearms is a priority for the NCA, and we work closely with Border Force and international partners to disrupt their flow into the UK.”
Gun Gang’s Liverpool Connection
Dobias’s criminal buddy, Marek Platko, 32, from Anfield, Liverpool, was also caught. He was arrested at Liverpool John Lennon Airport just two days after the seizure, arriving from Prague.
Platko was convicted by a canterbury/" title="Canterbury" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Canterbury jury in December 2018 for importing the firearm and ammo and sentenced to a hefty 22 years in jail.
The van driver, meanwhile, was cleared of all charges.
