Arsenal of 79 guns destined for UK seized from Polish van at Chunnel
THE largest haul of handguns ever seized by British police has been seized from a van preparing to enter the Channel Tunnel.
The arsenal of 79 guns were hidden inside specially- modified engine blocks and could have fetched up to £142,200 on the black market.
But the gunrunners were thwarted after police received a tip-off.
Following a joint investigation by Scotland Yard and the National Crime Agency, border officials in Coquelles, near Calais, were lying in wait when the yellow Mercedes van carrying seven Polish nationals entered the Tunnel on Saturday.
It was pulling a trailer concealing dozens of 4mm and 6mm handguns and boxes of ammunition. Investigators believe they were driven across Europe and were destined for major gangs in London and other cities.
Polish national Janusz Michek, 59, was yesterday charged with gun smuggling after being arrested at the scene. Denis Kolencukov, 23, a Czech national living in the UK, was held as he arrived separately in Dover.
A spokesman for the NCA – Britain’s equivalent of the FBI – said: ‘Because of the number of guns, it’s inevitable that over time they would be associated with all types of violent crime.’