Gun dealer had parts sent to him in the post after ordering them on the web
A gun dealer who used a 3D printer and ammunition press to make weapons with parts ordered on the dark web has been jailed for 27 months.
Haroon Iqbal, 32, told a seller in the US to mail him the internal parts of a Glock 17 pistol in a shipment of electronics, using a different identity.
The order was sent but intercepted on its arrival in the UK on 22 January 2022.
The parts were forensically marked by NCA officers to ensure they could be identified.
When Iqbal collected them from an address in Birmingham on 24 January NCA investigators were watching and the parts were recovered when Iqbal was arrested the following month.
Shortly after dispatching the first order, the US-based seller was arrested by US Homeland Security agents and his phone was seized.
In a series of encrypted messages Iqbal had asked whether the seller had ever had a shipment seized and told him to add a Christmas card to the package to make it look legitimate.
Iqbal told him: ‘Just make sure it doesn’t look suspicious, no glaringly obvious gun parts visible as soon as you open.’
Police were answering when on 26 January, he asked for a Glock 17 barrel with automatic rifle and asked for the parts to be hidden in a a toolbox.
He gave information to the undercover officer on how to package the second load, saying: “Show the decoy and the parts that u need to put in. We’ll advise how to pack.”
When sent a photo of the shipping label he said: “Bro are you feeling ok, who’s going to pay 65 to ship a 1 dollar item. Are you for real… now they’re definitely going to open it!”
Iqbal also provided a UK phone number for the package, texting: “The UK number you put on there… you should’ve asked me for one… if you don’t know something ask us what to put there, why are you making your own s**t up! I hope you haven’t posted this yet. You’re going to blow a good address if you have.”
US authorities organised for the toolbox without the barrel or rifle parts to be sent to a second address in Birmingham.
Following the delivery on 28 February, NCA surveillance officers arrested Iqbal.
The phone with the number used on the parcel was found in his car, and officers seized a 3D printer and an ammunition press from his business premises.
Officers also found the internal parts first sent to Iqbal in January which had the forensic markings.
Iqbal, from Bramble Dell in Birmingham, admitted attempting to possess a firearm at Birmingham Crown Court.
NCA operations manager Niall Conner said: ‘Haroon Iqbal spoke with supreme confidence to someone he thought was a seasoned gun supplier in the US, giving detailed instructions to ensure he would receive the orders to the UK.
‘His plans were stopped when US authorities arrested his contact and took over communication with Iqbal as he sought to arrange another delivery.
‘Our investigation has taken items including gun parts and a 3D printer out of circulation, which could have been used to create deadly weapons for use by organised crime groups.
‘The supply and use of firearms has a devastating impact on public safety and are used in acts of intimidation and serious violence. We will continue our work to stop those who are intent on bringing illegal firearms to our streets.’
