Two charged over firearms smuggled via the Channel Tunnel

Two men have been charged with attempting to smuggle four firearms and ammunition into the UK. National Crime Agency investigators were called in after the four Heckler and Koch handguns and 100 rounds of 9mm ammunition were found by Border Force by officers on Sunday 19 May in a BMW car at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles. The firearms and ammunition were found in a bag underneath the carpet floor of the vehicle’s boot. The occupants of the car were arrested and interviewed by NCA officers. They were later charged with the illegal importation of firearms. NCA branch commander, Matt Rivers, said: “The nature and scale of organised crime is becoming ever more complex, and criminal networks use a variety of methods to attempt to move firearms across international borders. “Disrupting those supply routes is a priority for the NCA and our partners, and this operation is an example of that in action. “In seizing these weapons, which were undoubtedly destined for the criminal marketplace, we have protected the people of the UK from the violence they would have inflicted.”