A police ‘eye in the sky’ helped armed cops locate a man carrying guns in Nottinghamshire.
Earlier that day in May 2022, the weapons had been put into the boot of a Ford Fiesta.
A police helicopter was later deployed and assisted in efforts to locate the vehicle. The 26-year-old driver was arrested and a search of the car revealed two pistols and 21 rounds of ammunition.
Further investigative work led to charges being brought against four men. Two pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate, with one admitting an extra charge of possessing a firearm when prohibited.
Both were jailed for six years each when they appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday 16 March 2023.
A third man pleaded guilty to entering into a criminal property arrangement and was given an eight-month sentence, which he had served on remand, so was released on licence.
A fourth will be sentenced at a later date.
EMSOU Detective Inspector Mark Adas said: “Dangerous weapons such as those we seized have the potential to cause immense harm to communities.
“Guns like these can have fatal consequences, but thankfully we were able to remove them from the streets.
“I hope our proactive work in this case shows how committed we are, working closely with our partners, to making our region even safer and protecting people from harm."
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