Gun smuggler jailed after 61 pistols found in car

Eryk Mariusz Kiler was sentenced to nine years at Canterbury Crown Court

A Polish gun smuggler has been jailed after being stopped at the Port of Dover with a car full of weapons.

Eryk Mariusz Kiler, 44, admitted attempting to bring 61 firearms into the UK and was sentenced to nine years at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday.

He was arrested in May upon being prevented from entering the country by Border Force officers, sparking a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

A search of his Renault Scenic uncovered a huge haul of self-loading pistols hidden in the voids of the vehicle's flooring, the NCA said.

When questioned, Kiler initially said he was coming to the UK for a christening.

Tracey Gasson, NCA operations manager, said: "The NCA and its partners at home and abroad do everything possible to fight the threat of the criminal use of firearms.

"Working together, we have prevented a huge number of firearms entering the hands of organised criminals who would not have thought twice about how dangerous they were making our communities."

Border Force Regional Director, David Smith added: "Our officers did an amazing job spotting this and work hard to keep dangerous weapons off our streets.

"We're sticking with the NCA to go after serious criminals and anyone who threatens our border security will face the full force of the law."