A 37-year-old man from Slough has been convicted for his role in a plot to import 96 lethal firearms into the UK.

Stephen Spires, who admitted to never having had 'a proper job', was convicted of possession of firearms in July 2018.

Following a retrial that lasted two and a half weeks, he was also found guilty on December 18 this year of working with Denis Kulencukov, 26 and Michael Nicholls, 28, (both convicted in 2018) to import the weapons into the UK from mainland Europe.

Kolencukov was arrested on July 1, 2017 after 79 handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized by Border Force officers based at Coqeulles, France.

The weapons were hidden in engine blocks on the trailer of a van which was en route to the UK.

The driver had collected the engines from Kolencukov at the Orlen petrol station in Boleslawiec, Poland, the previous day.

A diary seized from the courier had details of six other previous importations by Kolencukov of firearms and ammunition.

Phone records showed regular contact between and Spires to discuss distribution of the guns.

On July 3, 2017, Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) officers conducting surveillance on an industrial estate in Seaborough, Iver, saw Spires and Nicholls remove items from a shipping container and attempted to drive away in a van.

With support from armed Thames Valley Police officers, the van was stopped and the pair were arrested. Nine firearms were recovered stashed in a plastic carrier bag.

Officers discovered another firearm in the shipping container, and a further seven were recovered in police operations across the UK.

All three men will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 24 January 2020.

Tony O’Sullivan from the Organised Crime Partnership said: “I have no doubt they would have been sold for profit on the criminal market.

“They are easily concealable, making them the firearm of choice by criminal groups, who use them to bring fear and violence to streets of the UK. Stopping their onward distribution has protected the British public and no doubt prevented gang-related shootings.”.