A smuggler hid a gun in a secret van compartment filled with expanding foam. Radek Dobias, 42, was caught after the VW van was stopped in Dover by Border Force officials.
Following a search, a dog sniffed out a secret compartment in April 2018. National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators were called and discovered a Slovakia-manufactured, self-loading, semi-automatic firearm as well as 8kg of loose ammunition; three boxes of ammunition; and two magazines.
The driver, Peter Kral, claimed he was collecting a racing buggy. He was cleared of all offences. READ MORE: Teenager's £1,800 Louis Vuitton bag taken during terrifying armed robbery at Selfridges Organiser of the importation, Marek Platko, was found guilty in December 2018 at Canterbury Crown Court of the importation of weapons and ammunition and jailed for 22 years.
Czech national Dobias was caught at Manchester Airport in March last year and arrested. He pleaded guilty to importing prohibited weapons with intent to evade a prohibition; and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of prohibition on the importation of prohibited ammunition.
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