Man jailed in UK over bid to smuggle firearms parts from Pakistan – Pakistan

A man was jailed in Birmingham for trying to smuggle firearms in a car from Pakistan, the UK’s federal crime agency said on Friday.

According to a statement by the National Crime Agency (NCA), “A man who tried to smuggle 72 firearms parts in a car shipped from Pakistan to the United Kingdom has today been jailed for eight years.”

The 40-year-old, named Yasir Khan, pleaded guilty after the agency found that “he was behind the bid to smuggle 36 top slides and 36 barrels for 9mm Glock self-loading pistols in a 1976 Datsun Sunny”.

NCA’s statement detailed how the gun parts were “expertly” hidden inside the vehicle.

The agency said that NCA officers had initiated an investigation against Yasir, who claimed he was a car dealer, and arrested him in July of last year. He appeared at Birmingham’s crown court where he was sentenced after admitting to the crime, the statement added.

The officers found voice notes on Yasir’s phone showing evidence of a contact with a Pakistani supplier with access to the manufacturer of firearms’ parts.

The statement further said that Yasir was suspected of a similar incident in Nov 2023. It stated, “Evidence also showed that during 2023, Khan purchased several deactivated firearms which it is believed he was able to convert into viable lethal firearms once again.”

A video posted by the agency on social media platform X showed armed officers raiding the accused who was seen sitting inside a car. The officers detained him with handcuffs, the footage showed.