Rakesh Patel
A man has been jailed after transforming his north London home into a firearms factory.
Rakesh Patel, from Enfield, was found guilty following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court after police discovered a stockpile of weapons at his home and a crop of cannabis plants.
Police raided the 39-year-old’s home in Alma Road and found more than 20 firearms in various stages of conversion, along with 50 to 100 rounds of ammunition, in his kitchen.
Officers carried out the search after Border Force officials intercepted a parcel addressed to Patel from the United States containing a handgun.
Police discovered 12 mature cannabis plants in his front bedroom and loft.
Today, Patel was jailed for 10 years for two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm and 10 months for one count of cultivating cannabis.
He was also sentenced to three years in prison, to run concurrently, for five counts of possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate, one count of possessing a firearm when prohibited, and one count of attempted possession of an imitation firearm readily convertible into a firearm.
Detective Inspector Rick Sewart, from the Trident and Area Crime Command, said: “There is no doubt that these guns would have ended up in the hands of violent criminals on Britain’s streets.
“With the help of Border Force officers, we have closed down this firearms factory, cut out a supply chain of lethal weapons, and prevented fatal shootings on the streets of London.”