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An online shop run by an Apprentice star sold knives and ninja swords to underage killers, MailOnline can reveal.
DNA Leisure, a million-pound enterprise run by ex-Young Apprentice star Adam Eliaz, even encouraged customers to buy up its stock of zombie knives before they are banned later this year.
The site has been slammed as ‘disgusting’ for telling shoppers to buy brightly coloured ninja swords, double-headed axes and machetes ‘while you can!’ on a ‘last chance’ section of its website.
It sold multiple weapons to underage killers who used either fake IDs or those of older people to get past its age checks – in one case ordering 79 weapons from the site over several months – before using them to commit murder.
Knives and swords bought from DNA Leisure were used to kill Ronan Kanda, 16, in Wolverhampton in June 2022; Rahaan Amin, 16, in Newham, east London in July 2023; and Omar Khan, 39 in Luton in September 2023.
The only thing linking each incident of mindless violence is the weapons’ point of origin: an unassuming warehouse in a Luton business park DNA Leisure calls home.
Eliaz, who previously told a YouTube channel Lord Sugar called him ‘too much of a nice guy, so I’ve kind of changed that now’, claims he has done nothing wrong in selling what he calls ‘collectables and tools’.
But today Ronan’s mother Pooja said she was ‘disgusted’ at his business – claiming Mr Eliaz, 31, was ‘making money from the blood of others’ .
Pooja Kanda at her home in Wolverhampton, holding a picture of her son Ronan. He was stabbed to death with a ninja sword bought from Luton-based business DNA Leisure
Adam Eliaz (pictured) set up DNA Leisure in 2012. His empire of knives and fishing equipment is now worth more than £1million
Ronan Kanda was stabbed in the chest with a ninja sword by two thugs who mistook him for another boy they had argued with over money. The sword was bought from DNA Leisure
Prabjeet Veadhesa (left) was 16 when he used a fake ID to order 26 knives from DNA Leisure. His accomplice, Sukhman Shergill (right), was also 16 at the time of the killing
Ronan was walking home from a friend’s house when he was attacked in the street in Wolverhampton in June 2022
Until earlier in May, DNA Leisure listed clearance products that will soon be outlawed on this page of its website
It removed the page hours after MailOnline got in touch with questions about its business practices – removing the ‘last chance items’ option from its green menu bar (above)
Ms Kanda, 47, told MailOnline: ‘There’s no conscience. If he’s profiting that much it makes me wonder how many swords and machetes are getting around – while he gets rid of stock, of (soon to be) illegal stock.
‘I am disgusted at Adam. He could be doing any type of business. It’s sickening he is trying to sell these weapons before they become illegal.
‘He doesn’t care about why they’re becoming illegal. He should have done the right thing and got rid of them instead of telling people to buy them.
‘These people are not responsible. Perpetrators get hold of these and to the people like Adam all is well – it’s disgusting. They are making the weapons available – putting them in the hands of people that should not have them. And it will continue.
‘But it is making such profit – that’s why he won’t stop.’
Ronan, 16, was stabbed to death with a 20-inch ninja sword by 16-year-olds Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill close to his family home in Wolverhampton.
Veadhesa bought the sword, and 25 other blades, from DNA Leisure over the course of six months using a fake ID, selling many of them on for a profit. He collected the two-sword set carried by himself and Shergill from the post office the day they murdered Ronan.
A sword set similar to that ordered by Veadhesa was listed for £22.95 on DNA Leisure. It is now listed as being out of stock.
The pair then ran up to Ronan from behind as he left a friend’s house and stabbed him. He was not their intended target: they mistook him for the friend whose house he was leaving, with whom they had disagreed about money.
Baby-faced Veadhesa and Shergill were jailed for life in July 2023, and are serving minimum terms of 18 and 16 years respectively.
Trial judge Mr Justice Chowdhury said Veadhesa had an ‘unhealthy fascination with knives’ and that those he bought were ‘frightening even to look at’.
He continued: ‘These were for the most part large machetes and swords which have no legitimate use on our streets. It is disturbing that a 16-year-old could so easily purchase such items online.
‘The businesses engaged in this kind of trade should reflect on their facilitation of knife crime and the devastating consequences for the lives of so many.’
Prabjeet Veadhesa collected the knife and sword purchased from DNA Leisure set from a local post office hours before he committed murder
The sword set that was used to kill Ronan Kanda – a 20inch ‘ninja sword’ and a smaller 14inch blade. A similar set was listed on DNA Leisure for just £22.95
A ninja sword and katana set similar to that purchased by Prabjeet Veadhesa using a fake ID on DNA Leisure for £22.95. It is now showing as ‘out of stock’
Adam Eliaz set up DNA Leisure in 2012. He appeared on Young Apprentice (pictured) and insists his company complies with its legal responsibilities
Following Ronan’s death, Ms Kanda and her daughter Nikita launched the Justice for Ronan campaign, urging the government to ban online knife sales and to implement the September ban on more knives sooner than planned.
They took a petition of more than 10,000 signatures calling for a ban on online knife sales to Downing Street last year.
The government has said it needs to give people time to surrender these weapons, with a compensation scheme set to open this summer.
Pooja and Nikita have claimed some victories: Royal Mail announced in April it would no longer deliver knives on its network to prevent blades from ‘falling into the wrong hands’. The ban came into effect in May.
But while there are faults all across the system that allowed knives to land in the hands of her son’s killers, Ms Kanda believes the buck stops with sellers for facilitating access to dangerous blades in the first place – starting with DNA Leisure.
Its ‘last chance’ page encouraged shoppers to ‘buy now while you can’ – adding that it would be their responsibility to surrender the weapons once in September.
‘We have ceased importing, purchasing, or restocking these items,’ it read.
‘Once our current inventory is depleted, they will not be replenished. This is an opportunity for you to make a purchase.’
DNA deleted the page within hours of being contacted by MailOnline. It has not commented on why it was taken down.
In 2022/23, 42 people aged between 13 and 19 in England and Wales were killed with a sharp instrument, according to official statistics – double that a decade ago. Meanwhile, other homicides in the same age group have fallen in the same period.
Ms Kanda says she believes businessmen like Adam Eliaz are motivated by greed – an allegation he has rejected.
She emailed him last year urging him to stop stocking weapons. But in a reply seen by MailOnline, he replied: ‘They are collectors’ items. Our customers buy these to keep at home. Just like people collect stamps.’
Breaking down in tears, the heartbroken mother said she has been forced to live a life sentence since her son was cruelly taken from her.
Ms Kanda said: ‘Every second is difficult. I grieve every day and I miss him every day. He was such a lovely, kind, funny kid.
‘He would be turning 19. He would have been taller. He would have had more facial hair. I worked really hard all those years to bring up my two kids. That’s why I’m so angry. That’s why I’m fighting.
‘People like Adam Eliaz don’t have any morals against making money. I can’t leave the house without feeling scared… but people like him are carrying on.
‘He doesn’t care. He is making money from the blood of others.’
In the last month, DNA Leisure has been fingered as the vendor responsible for selling knives to underage killers in two other murder cases.
Last week, a 17-year-old boy was convicted of murdering Rahaan Ahmed Amin, 16, in West Ham Park in east London on July 9 last year after buying knives from DNA Leisure and having them sent to his home address.
The teen, who cannot be named, cycled up to Rahaan and stabbed him in the chest with a long red knife. Detectives snared him after identifying the knife in a Snapchat image shared on his profile – and looking into his DNA Leisure order history.
Pooja Kanda examining DNA Leisure’s website. She believes its owner, Adam Eliaz, is motivated by greed to continue selling knives, swords and machetes
DNA Leisure says it sells ‘collectables and tools’ – but some of its items, including this £34.95 machete, have little practical value and appear to be designed to intimidate and cause harm
This £16.95 ‘Survivor’ knife features an 8.6inch blade that will become illegal under the new ban on ‘zombie’ knives and machetes in September
Some of the knives set to be banned come in sets – such as this £24.95 sword set with two matching ‘kunai’ throwing knives
DNA Leisure operates from this unassuming industrial estate on the outskirts of Luton in Bedfordshire
Using the name of a friend’s father, the killer had placed three orders for knives a month before he attacked Rahaan, who died in hospital the next day.
DCI Kelly Allen, lead investigator with the Met Police, said: ‘This case demonstrates how easy it is for young people to purchase deadly knives online.
‘I would urge all parents to be aware of their child’s online activity and what purchases they are making.
‘It is also important for parents to keep their ID documents secure to ensure they are not misused by their children.’
In mid-May teenage drug dealers Rayis Nibeel, 17, and Umer Choudhury, 18, were jailed for life after stabbing 39-year-old father-of-two Omar Khan to death with a 11inch serrated hunting knife in Luton.
The knife cut through his principal arteries and spine during the attack shortly before 2am on September 16 last year. Only the sheath of the weapon was ever recovered.
Nibeel bought a total of 79 bladed items – including 39 hunting knives, 15 machetes and 12 swords – from DNA Leisure over several months using his mother’s ID.
Investigators with Bedfordshire Police, which led the murder probe, are mystified at how the then-16-year-old was able to order so many weapons – worth over £1,000 in all – and get them delivered without ever being challenged.
Det Insp Justine Jenkins said it was a ‘massive loophole’, telling BBC News: ‘I’m always surprised that weapons like that can be sent in the post and just delivered’.
She added that the ‘horrendously large’ weapons were devastatingly likely to hit major organs, and said of why they appear to be more prevalent: ‘I think it’s probably a little bit down to how accessible they are.’
DNA Leisure might have changed its website since we got in touch, but it continues to trade in dangerous knives and swords with little practical purpose.
Its founder, Adam Eliaz, left school at 16, setting up a business selling fishing and camping equipment. He appeared on Young Apprentice at 17 in 2010 before being sent home due to illness after three tasks.
Rahaan Ahmed Amin, 16, died after he was stabbed through the heart by a teenage assailant in West Ham Park, east London. The killer had made three orders from DNA Leisure, including for the weapon he used to stab Rahaan
Rahaan’s killer, who cannot be named, was snared after detectives looked into his order history – and picked up on a Snapchat image (above) he shared of nine knives on a bed
DNA Leisure says it requires photographic ID such as a passport or driving licence in order to dispatch orders of knives – but underage criminals have exploited this to buy lethal weapons
Rishi Sunak seen handling a zombie knife. The government says new zombie knife legislation will come into effect from September
He said in the opening of the series: ‘I love making money. I’ll scrub floors to make money to be honest. I’ll do anything if it brings money in my pocket.’
Mr Eliaz then took over a fishing tackle shop in a Watford shopping centre with the help of his older brother Eddy around the time he set up DNA Leisure in 2012.
He told motoring YouTube channel Car Throttle in 2012 of his time on TV: ‘Alan Sugar told me I was too much of a nice guy, so I’ve kind of changed that now.’
Eddy runs a wholesale business that sells knives under the Anglo Arms brand, which has become notorious for its links to killings. He discontinued a 10inch ‘Rambo’ knife after a 2019 Mail on Sunday investigation revealed it was a favourite of street gangs.
DNA Leisure sells 59 items under the Anglo Arms brand – including a £4.95 knife designed to be worn around the neck.
And while the directory of clearance stock is gone, the cut-price items it listed are not – they are simply shown elsewhere with large ‘once they’re gone they’re gone’ labels.
The clearance stock include a £16.95 ‘Survivor’ tactical knife with an 8.6inch blade serrated on both edges, a £26.95 sword set featuring an 18.5inch blade, a 3inch knife and two throwing knives and a £29.95 19inch machete with deep serrations.
Of one machete, DNA Leisure says: ‘Whip them through the air and hear them sing.’
Patrick Green, CEO of anti-knife charity the Ben Kinsella Trust, said he believed the firm’s claim of catering to collectors and outdoor enthusiasts was ‘disingenuous’.
He told MailOnline: ‘The inclusion of weapons like serrated machetes with limited practical use, and the existence of a “last chance to buy” section for soon-to-be-illegal knives, paint a picture of a company prioritising profit over public safety.
‘Encouraging customers to “buy now” with the burden of responsible surrender later is one which encourages the stockpiling of these dangerous weapons.
‘These sales techniques demonstrate a cynical disregard for the potential consequences especially considering the tragic outcomes which have resulted from previous sales.’
Omar Khan, 39, was stabbed to death by a teenager who used his mother’s identity to buy 79 weapons from DNA Leisure
Rayis Nibeel and Umer Choudhury (left and right) were 16 and 17 respectively when they stabbed Omar Khan to death. Nibeel used his mother’s ID to buy 79 weapons from DNA Leisure. Both are serving life terms
Nibeel and Choudhury fleeing the scene after stabbing Omar Khan to death shortly before 2am on September 16 last year
The model of 11inch hunting knife believed to have been used to kill Omar Khan, purchased from DNA Leisure. The murder weapon was never found
The company used a similar sales tactic in the run up to a complete ban on spring-assisted or ‘flick’ knives that outlawed home possession of the blades in July 2021.
The 2019 DNA Leisure homepage, obtained from the Internet Archive, tells shoppers: ‘These super fast opening knives are still legal in the UK so grab yours while you can before legislation changes.’ It even sold the blades at a 30 per cent discount.
Today, the website even sells ‘mystery boxes’ of multiple knives for as little as £7.95. A box of three folding lock knives can be purchased for £17.95; the website boasts they are ‘great value’ and ‘a nice surprise’.
Companies House listings show DNA is listed as being involved in the ‘retail sale of sports goods, fishing gear, camping goods, boats and bicycles’.
But 2,200 of the 3,382 products it has listed for sale, per listing data provided to Google, are knives and swords.
The company is worth around £335,000, per accounts filed with Companies House – but a holding company linked to the firm is worth £919,729, making the DNA Leisure empire worth £1.25million as of the end of January last year.
Its worth has increased almost seven per cent from £1.17million the year before.
DNA Leisure says it carries out ID checks ‘in accordance with UK laws’. But these checks amount to requesting a photograph of a photographic ID card such as a driving licence or a passport.
There is no requirement on the site to prove that the person sending the photograph of the ID is the person it belongs to – the loophole that allowed underage killers to order knives to their home addresses.
UK laws on knife sales do not stipulate how online sales of knives should be verified.
‘It is for the seller to decide what system works best for their business model and will allow them to demonstrate that they took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence,’ government guidance states.
MailOnline sought to contact Mr Eliaz at a family home address in Watford, Hertfordshire. There, we spoke to a man claiming to be Mr Eliaz’s father, who said Adam had relocated to Canada.
Asked what he thought of his son selling knives to killers, he pointed at his luxury SUV in the driveway and said: ‘If I went out and killed someone with this, would you ban all of these?
‘If my son’s website was not here people would find other ways to buy these.’
Royal Mail has vowed to stop carrying bladed articles in the post in a move praised by Pooja Kanda (file picture of Royal Mail staff in a sorting office)
DNA Leisure encouraged customers to buy spring-assisted knives before they became illegal to even keep at home in 2021 – even taking 30 per cent off of their prices (above)
The site even offers ‘mystery boxes’ of multiple knives for as little as £15 at a time. Adam Eliaz insists there is nothing wrong with how he does business
Adam Eliaz later told a YouTube channel that Lord Sugar (pictured with him) had told him he was ‘too nice…so I changed that’
He added that he believed 80 per cent of DNA Leisure’s sales were from fishing equipment. This claim could not be verified.
Responding to MailOnline’s enquiries by email, Adam Eliaz said his company complied ‘with all current UK legislation on selling bladed articles, including laws on remote sales and age verification’.
On selling stock that will be outlawed, he said his firm had approached the Home Office to discuss surrendering it in exchange for compensation – but that this request was ‘declined’.
It is understood that DNA Leisure’s offer to surrender stock was refused because the items it was looking to give up in exchange for compensation fell outside of the remit of the new legislation.
He did not comment on the ‘buy now while you can’ section of the DNA Leisure website, or why it was removed after MailOnline made enquiries.
Mr Eliaz said: ‘We are deeply saddened by any loss of life, and our hearts go out to the victims’ families. It is misleading to blame us for knife crime.
‘The misuse of these items is beyond our control and reflects broader societal issues related to gang and drug-related crimes.
‘Additionally, recent media coverage has increased our website traffic by over 500 per cent, attracting attention from individuals who may not have our products’ intended use in mind.
‘By mentioning our company, the media inadvertently brings the wrong kind of attention to our site, potentially exacerbating the issue they claim to be concerned about.
‘The vast majority of our customers, like the general population are normal, law-abiding individuals. Fully aware of the laws and behave sensibly.
‘A knife isn’t a weapon, unless a person turns it into one. The products we sell are collectables and tools which are used legally and safely by the vast majority of customers.’
After being contacted by MailOnline, DNA Leisure published a new statement on its website defending its business practices, under the heading of ‘Facts, not fiction’.
‘All our staff at DNA Leisure are deeply saddened by the recent tragic events,’ it read.
‘UK Knife retailers have to adhere to strict Laws, however, the media would like to portray DNA Leisure and knife retailers as irresponsible, profit-focused and reckless. This could not be further from the truth.’
The Home Office declined to comment.
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