A 40-year-old man from Birmingham has been sentenced to eight years in prison after attempting to smuggle 72 firearm parts into the UK hidden inside a classic car shipped from Pakistan. Yasir Khan, of Lea Road, Sparkhill, pleaded guilty to firearms smuggling following a thorough investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The illegal haul, consisting of 36 top slides and 36 barrels for 9mm Glock self-loading pistols, was discovered on 7 July 2024 at London Gateway Port. Border Force officers, working alongside the NCA, found the parts expertly concealed in a 1976 Datsun Sunny. The components were hidden in various parts of the vehicle, including underneath the windscreen, behind the engine block, and inside the fuel tank.
Khan, who claimed to be a car dealer, was arrested on 12 July in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter by NCA officers from the Armed Operations Unit. During the investigation, voice notes on Khan’s phone revealed communication with a supplier in Pakistan who had access to firearm component manufacturing. The notes also indicated that Khan had visited a factory in Pakistan during the summer of 2023.
Further evidence suggested Khan’s involvement in a similar importation attempt in November 2023. Mobile phone data included videos of Khan struggling with ammunition jamming in firearms that had been assembled and test-fired. Additionally, Khan had purchased several deactivated firearms in 2023, which investigators believe he intended to convert back into functioning weapons.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer David Phillips emphasized the importance of the operation, stating, “Preventing illegal firearms from reaching the streets of the UK is a key priority for the NCA. Working with our law enforcement partners at home and abroad, we have stopped this significant array of component parts from entering the criminal marketplace and being used to produce lethal firearms for organised crime groups.”
Khan appeared at Birmingham Crown Court, where he was sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to the charges. The NCA and Border Force have hailed the operation as a major success in combating the illegal firearms trade in the UK.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts of UK law enforcement to disrupt organised crime networks and prevent dangerous weapons from endangering communities.