Gun Conversion Gang Busted in Midlands Sting
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has dismantled a gang that turned cheap blank-firing pistols into deadly real guns. Perhys Neale, 31, bought around 45 legal blank-firing Turkish Retay 84FS pistols from Midlands gun shops, including Birmingham and Tamworth. These pistols normally sell for about £100 each but, once converted, fetch at least £2,500 on the black market.
From Blank-Firing to Live Rounds
With lethal firearms tough to come by, criminals often use these converted blank pistols. Neale’s accomplice Shaun Williams, 33, drove him to multiple store visits and helped handle the cash. The weapons’ barrels were drilled out, allowing them to fire live 9mm ammunition. They were then coated with heat-resistant black paint to cover their original blue finish and pass as real guns.
Neale even bragged in a text to his girlfriend about converting four pistols at once — a move that could have netted him £9,000.
Police Grab Guns and Gear in Dramatic Arrest
West Midlands Police, with NCA backing, swooped on Watson and Williams in a white transit van near Birmingham’s notorious Spaghetti Junction last November. Officers found two disassembled firearms and 9mm ammo in the van. Searches of their homes uncovered a Clarke Metal Worker drill, fittings for the conversion, and even a small cannabis farm at Neale’s flat.
Guilty Trio Locked Up
All three men pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court in June. Sentencing today (11 October) saw Christopher Watson slammed with five years and three months, Shaun Williams jailed for four-and-a-half years, and Perhys Neale handed four years.
NCA Branch Commander Mick Pope said: “Illegal firearms feed serious violence, intimidation, and coercion in our communities. It’s chilling to think the dozens of blank-firing weapons this gang bought could have ended up as real handguns with organised criminals. Seizing these weapons, alongside West Midlands Police, has protected the public from a serious threat. I’m certain more guns would have been made if we hadn’t stopped them. The NCA works relentlessly to stop criminals like Watson, Williams, and Neale from obtaining firearms and endangering the public.”
Cracking Down on Fake Guns
It’s illegal in the UK to convert blank-firing pistols into live weapons. The NCA collaborates with industry groups, retailers, and international partners to stop these firearms from entering the UK market, whether legally or through black channels.
