Men jailed over UK's largest illegal gun factory

Twelve men who were involved in converting blank-firing pistols and ammunition into deadly weapons have been jailed.

Police said the investigation uncovered what was one of the UK's largest illegal gun factory operations being run in Sheffield.

Officers found 108 blank-firing weapons in various stages of conversion following raids in the Darnall, Castlebeck, Richmond and Beighton areas between March and July 2023.

Det Ch Insp Iain Martin said such weapons made up "a large proportion of firearms discharges in South Yorkshire".

Through CCTV trawls, search warrants and vehicle stops by neighbouring police forces, investigators had "developed an in-depth picture of the hierarchal structure of the group", according to South Yorkshire Police.

Martin said a "significant number of weapons" had been seized and that the firearms "would have got into the hands of violent criminals putting innocent members of the public at risk of harm".

At Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, 10 men were sentenced after either pleading guilty at earlier hearings or having previously been found guilty of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to manufacture, sell or transfer ammunition.

• Danny Milner, 42, of Gresley Walk, Sheffield, was jailed for 18 years
• Antonio Lewis, 28, of Roundhay Gardens, Leeds, was jailed for 17 years
• Zakaria West, 30, of Tithe Barn Way, Sheffield, was jailed for 16 years
• Arron Ward, 42, of Smelter Wood Crescent, Sheffield, was jailed for 16 years
• Delroy Riley, 46, of Richmond Hall Avenue, Sheffield, was jailed for 13 years
• Andrew Loton, 37, of Bramshill Close, Sheffield, was jailed for 12 years and 10 months
• Paul Dungworth, 38, of Ridgeway Crescent, Sheffield, was jailed for 11 years and six months
• Ashley Gregory, 36, of Danewood Avenue, Sheffield, was jailed for 11 years and eight months
• Joshua Drury, 34, of Highwoods Road, Doncaster, was jailed for 11 years
• Ashley Stevenson, 22, of Spa Well Crescent, Rotherham, was jailed for nine years

Shera Virk, 25, of Golf Lane, Leamington Spa, and Joseph Steele, 35, of Brewery Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, were both found guilty of three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and one charge of possessing ammunition and sentenced at an earlier hearing.

Steele was jailed for nine years, while Virk was given an eight-year prison term.

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