A Netherfield man is amongst a gang of four men who have been jailed for turning imitation and antique weapons into deadly firearms in a garage before supplying them to criminals.
Police uncovered the illegal gun-conversion operation after an investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), leading to the seizure of 11 viable firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition before they could hit the streets.
Officers discovered the conspiracy centred around a garage in Bakersfield, where weapons were transformed into working guns over a 10-week period.
Among those involved was Daniel Wren, described as the group’s chief armourer, who worked alongside Sean Bates and Kerrigan Wright to convert blank-firing and obsolete guns into lethal weapons. Quisar Iqbal acted as the main link between the conspirators and buyers.
When police raided the Bakersfield garage, they found a converted pistol, a revolver and live ammunition.
Investigators also uncovered evidence showing the garage had become a hub for the operation, with all four key conspirators regularly visiting as firearms were modified and prepared for sale.
The gun-running scheme came crashing down on October 9 last year when officers carried out a series of coordinated dawn raids across Nottingham.
Wren, Iqbal, Bates and Wright were arrested at their homes, while weapons were recovered from every address except Iqbal’s.
The investigation also led detectives to two more men. Trevell Johnson was linked to the conspiracy through messages found on Wren’s phone discussing firearm sales and conversions, while Caleb Masiyina was found to have possessed a gun connected to the operation.
Although officers seized 11 firearms, investigators believe at least another 24 weapons had already been supplied to criminals before the gang was stopped.
Some of the recovered weapons were top-venting blank firer (TVBF) pistols, which have become notorious for being converted into working handguns.
Following court proceedings at Nottingham Crown Court, four members of the gang were sentenced on Tuesday.
Daniel Wren, 27, of Broad Oak Close, St Ann’s, was jailed for six years.
Quisar Iqbal, 33, of Woodborough Road, St Ann’s, received four-and-a-half years.
Sean Bates, 36, of Nether Pasture, Netherfield, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Kerrigan Wright, 35, of Mays Avenue, Bakersfield, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Trevell Johnson, 25, and Caleb Masiyina, 25, are due to be sentenced later this week.
Superintendent Tom Allard of EMSOU said: “It really can’t be overstated just how serious these offences were, with the actions of these men putting communities at genuine risk of harm.
“They kept and conspired to supply at least 35 different handguns between them, many of which they’d converted into deadly firearms themselves.”
Detective Superintendent Chris Sullivan, of Nottinghamshire Police, added: “Any viable firearm taken out of harm’s way from our communities is undoubtedly a good thing.
“While gun crime in Nottinghamshire thankfully remains very rare, we will never be complacent about this.”
