The National Crime Agency has confiscated many dangerous drugs from an industrial site for forensic analysis.
During a raid, a weapons factory used to transform blank-firing firearms into lethal ones was discovered.
National Crime Agency (NCA) agents who searched an industrial facility in Merton, south London, uncovered a variety of tools and machinery, including weapon-making components, ammunition, and blank firers ready to be converted.
According to the NCA, more than a hundred rounds of live ammunition, approximately a thousand rounds of blank ammunition suitable for conversion, and three potentially functionally converted weapons were also recovered.
Additionally, investigators discovered several 3D printers suspected of being used to manufacture firearms parts.
After finding suspected explosive powder, the army bomb squad was brought in to ensure safety.
The agency’s armed operations unit found a functioning modified weapon and 9mm magazines in a car earlier.
Currently, forensic specialists are evaluating and analyzing the seized firearms.
The NCA’s Debbie Palmer-Lawrence stated, “This was a significant investigation that uncovered a suspected factory for converting blank-firing weapons into lethal firearms.
“We are aware that these varieties of firearms are in high demand among criminals”.
They are frequently used in acts of extreme violence and by criminal organizations to coerce and intimidate.
Therefore, preventing them from reaching the streets is a high priority for the NCA.
Evan Girdlestone, 47, of Colliers Wood was charged with Firearms Act breaches after the search. He was scheduled to appear before Croydon magistrates on Saturday.
