Man bought almost 40 guns and 1,000 bullets - court
National Crime AgencyA man who allegedly bought almost 40 hand guns and more than 1,000 bullets has appeared in court charged with firearms offences, police say.
Luke Fortune, 22, from Longwell Green, was arrested after police found a Glock-style pistol and a revolver hidden in a bush in the Bristol suburb, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
He appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court earlier charged with eight firearms offences
They included two counts of possessing firearms, two of possessing ammunition and one count of converting a firearm. He was also charged with one count of manufacturing a firearm (a 3D-printed sub-machine gun), one count of selling firearms and one count of conspiracy to import firearms.
The NCA said officers previously arrested Fortune, of Mapstone Rise, in July 2024 after he allegedly bought three antique firearms and 35 top venting blank firearms - a realistic-looking type of pistol with blocked barrels.
They are illegal due to their easy conversion into lethal firearms, it added.
Andy Lawton, a senior investigating officer from the NCA, said: "These weapons could have caused untold damage to our communities with potentially fatal consequences.
"Working closely with our partners in the UK and overseas, we are relentless in our efforts to suppress the availability of firearms and ammunition to criminals."
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