Gangster arranged gun deals from jail

A gangster who arranged gun deals worth thousands of pounds from his prison cell has been jailed for more than 12 years.

Blaine Nurden, 28, was already serving time for firearms offences when he was linked to a gang who tried to flood London with guns and ammunition.

Nurden along with his brother Hayden Nurden, 25, Billy Flynn, 25,  Ahmet Budak, 35, and Hasan Ekinci, 41, were locked up for a total of 42 and a half years at Woolwich Crown Court.

Detectives had watched Ekinci place a brown paper bag into the boot of a car, driven by Budak
outside a business premises in Hackney, east London, on 17 September 2020.

Armed police followed and stopped the car in Dagenham where they found two brown paper bags containing four Sig Sauer P226 handguns as well as 40 rounds of ammunition in the boot.

Officers then searched an address linked to Budak, on Hale End Road, Walthamstow, and found a glock firearm as well as 20 rounds of ammunition hidden in the kitchen.

They recovered a taser from inside a bedroom wardrobe at an address linked to Ekinci on King Edward Road, Hackney.

All handguns and ammunition were inspected and found to be capable of causing lethal injuries.

Phone records revealed Blaine Nurden arranged the firearms deal from his prison cell while serving a jail sentence for gun and drugs offences.

Further phone analysis identified his brother, Hayden Nurden, as well as Flynn, as customers for the firearms.

Haydn had sent a text message to Flynn on the day in question, asking him to bring the ‘5500 x 2’ when he was ready.

According to detectives in the case £5,500 was e a reasonable price for each gun.

Flynn, together with Hayden and Blaine Nurden, denied but were convicted of possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.

Budak denied but was convicted of possession of firearms.

Blaine Nurden, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years and three months; Hayden Nurden, of Shafter Road, Dagenham, east London, was locked up for 11 years and three months.

Flynn, of Rowanwood Avenue, Bexley, southeast London, was jailed for 11 years and three months in prison.

Budak, of Balcorne Street, Hackney, east London, was jailed for seven years and nine months.

Ekinci, of Hackney, admitted possession of firearms with intent to endanger life/cause another to do so and will be sentenced later.

Detective Inspector Lewis Sanderson, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Team, said: ‘The criminal use of firearms has the most tragic consequences on our communities.

‘The work of detectives in taking these lethal weapons off our streets is vital and there is no doubt in my mind this has prevented serious violent crime.

‘This investigation demonstrates our commitment to holding those involved in the distribution of these weapons to account.

‘I hope these convictions send a strong message to those involved, we will seek you out and bring you to justice.’
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