Man stopped on A14 in Huntingdon found to have two guns hidden in his van

Guzzy Lee (36) of Butlers Gardens, Wymondham, and Kevin Lee (30) of St Mary’s Terrace, Pulham St Mary, were sentenced to 13 and a half years and 10 and a half years imprisonment respectively at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a number of firearms offences.

The brothers were arrested following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) into the supply of illegal firearms.

In December 2018 the brothers sold a sawn-off shot gun to Adam Holden (26) of Enfield Street, Wigan. Shortly afterwards, Holden was stopped in the West Midlands by officers who discovered the shotgun and 14 shotgun cartridges in his car. He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition and was jailed for five years at Shrewsbury Crown Court in May 2019.

In February 2019, Guzzy Lee sold a shotgun and a signal pistol, which had been adapted to make a handgun, to Martin Hallissey (30) of Moat Road, Oldbury.

Hallissey was arrested shortly afterwards after the van he was travelling in was stopped by police on the slip road of the A14/A141 at Huntingdon.

On searching the van, officers found the guns hidden behind the front seats. They also recovered 10 shotgun cartridges which could have been loaded in either gun.

He was jailed for five years at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm.

As part of the investigation, a shotgun and a number of shotgun cartridges were found by police in a storage container being rented by Kevin Lee in Brome, Suffolk.

Detective Inspector James Panter, from ERSOU, said: “The brothers worked together to supply dangerous and illegal firearms to other criminals, on one occasion converting a signal pistol into a viable, working handgun.

“Weapons like the ones seized have the potential to cause serious and deadly harm to communities, so we’re really pleased to have been able to disrupt the Lee brothers and stem the supply.

“The sentences handed out to all four men also show how seriously this type of criminality is taken by both the police and the justice system. We will continue treating gun crime as a priority, as part of our mission to tackle serious and organised crime across the eastern region.”