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Two men from Coventry have been jailed, along with a third man, for a total of 35 years for importing guns and ammunition into the UK by post before trying to sell them to organised criminals.
The National Crime Agency launched an investigation after two semi-automatic pistols and hollow-point bullets were intercepted at a parcel hub in the Midlands on January 24, 2020.
Border Force officers recovered the weapons, which had been concealed in an electronic safe in a package labelled as car parts, after they were sent from Orlando, Florida.
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The parcel was addressed to a ‘John Bob Walton’ in Cambridge.
Five days later, a man claiming to be Walton called Parcelforce asking where it was.
NCA investigators traced the number back to Dion Roberts, 33, of Lodge Green Lane, Meriden, Coventry.
Roberts and a second man, Keston Joseph, 33, of Broad Street, Foleshill, Coventry, were stopped by NCA officers, supported by West Midlands Police, on 31 January 2020 while driving on King William Street in Coventry where they were both were arrested.
Joseph was released under investigation but Roberts was remanded in custody and his phone seized.
Analysis of his messages showed that he had arranged the importation with a contact known as ‘Shotta’ who was based in Florida.
The messages also showed that they had successfully imported another semi-automatic pistol two weeks prior to Roberts’ arrest, using the same method.
In audio messages, Roberts instructed Shotta to send the weapon in a safe that was insulated with carbon paper and to “just show them as car parts innit”.
He also assured him: “We make a lot o’ money bro. We make a lot of paper, a lotta lotta o’ paper there to be made.”
Prior to the gun’s arrival, Roberts sent the following messages to an unknown prospective buyer: “Had two G40 but sold have two more coming next week… Normally 5 I will give you for 4 500 new brand… or you tell me what you want and I bring it in.”
He also spoke to a French contact about importing weapons over there.
Roberts said: “With a lot of terrorist acts going on – I know the security level over there is high – but that’s something I’m gonna try and find out how to get them over there… the man we dealing with right now… the man’s loaded.”
Roberts and Joseph collected the package containing the first weapon on January 11, 2020. Officers recovered a photo from Joseph’s phone taken that morning of him holding the gun.
Phone records showed that following this, Roberts and Joseph were actively searching for buyers while simultaneously organising the shipment of the second package.
This time, Roberts asked Shotta to include five rounds of ammunition with each gun. When Shotta warned against this as he thought they would give off a ‘certain smell’, Roberts told him this wouldn’t matter due to the insulation in the safe.
Roberts made contact with the third man, Dashan Caines, 46, of Falcon Lodge Crescent, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, to bring him in on the conspiracy.
Communication between them and Joseph was ongoing and investigations revealed they all travelled together to hide the safe.
With Roberts in custody and evidence secured against his co-conspirators, NCA armed officers arrested Caines and Joseph on March 5, 2020.
The safe was recovered two months later hidden in a bush near Roberts’ home with the firearm still inside. When NCA forensic scientists analysed the weapon, they discovered Caines’ DNA on it.
Roberts pleaded guilty to conspiring to acquire and sell prohibited weapons and ammunition.
Caines and Joseph were found guilty of the same offences following a five-week trial.
At Birmingham Crown Court, Roberts was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Joseph to 14 years and Caines to nine years.
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